Cup Exit: Costly Errors End Run

What should have been an exciting cup night after two years without enjoying a tie in Ipurua lacked the magic that the full Armero stadium used to give off on the snack nights of yesteryear. The absence of more than a thousand of those members, among them the members of up to 14 clubs who decided not to attend in protest of the club’s initial decision to automatically charge members for admission, was felt in the half-empty stands, although those who did attend made an effort to make the team feel close to them.

And from the pitch, those not so common in the League chosen by Beñat San José wanted to thank them for their unconditional support by undertaking with ambition the duel that brought a First Team to the armored city almost two years after Athletic also dropped them in this same one.

And although it was Elche that tried to strike first with a shot from Jhon Chetauya close to the post that Luis López deflected for a corner and a subsequent shot by Pedrosa from the edge of the corner kick, Eibar did not give up, and on its first arrival it lifted the audience from its seats when Aleix Garrido sent a poisoned serve to the far post that Álvaro Rodríguez missed by a hair’s breadth.

Encouraged by that great opportunity that restored their confidence after not having generated any in the last league game against Córdoba, the gunsmiths continued to intimidate Dituro’s goal, with special prominence from a Bautista who, just like in the League, wants and does a lot to score the goal that has been so elusive since he scored precisely in the Cup against Náxara, the last of the two this season. The anxiety to score weighs on him so much that, although he was able to steal a ball in the six-yard box, he got tangled up without even taking a shot.

The turn back error

And, as often happens on many occasions, when they most deserved to be ahead on the scoreboard, the turn error came that they found no human way to avoid. This time it was goalkeeper Luis López’s turn to be the involuntary author of the gross mistake of giving away the ball that the Murcian goalkeeper intended to put into play by relying on Arambarri.

Adam went ahead of the Azkoitiarra and, with no one to prevent him, the franjiverdes player put the finishing touch on the present by scoring the goal that put the tie back on track for Elche when the timer was about to reach half an hour into the game.

Enraged, the Eibar team tried to respond quickly, first with a free-kick taken from the front by Toni Villa, and shortly after with a quick transition led by Bautista, which culminated in a cross shot that refused to go in.

In a last attempt to resolve the clash, Elche pressed the accelerator in the final minutes in which they were about to achieve their goal with a shot from Álvaro that went wide, but just barely.

Eibar approached the second half as they should, firmly determined to challenge the pass to Elche, and it didn’t take long for them to have clear options to achieve it, but once again Bautista stumbled with the ball that Aleix had sneaked into the area.

Even more incisive was the next arrival of Adu Ares, who encountered opposition from Dituro after entering the area to finish his raid himself.

Third missed penalty

But, without a doubt, the best chance of all was created by Corpas, who as soon as he came out forced the penalty of hope after being knocked down by Pedrosa in the area.

The player from Jaén took the ball and threw with all the determination in the world towards the left post of the visiting goal, but it was also there where Elche’s Argentine goalkeeper launched himself, causing the winger to fall victim to the curse that haunts Eibar this year from eleven meters, since Corpas already missed one in Huesca and Bautista another against Zaragoza.

And this is how two new errors in both areas put an end to this year’s cup adventure.