Avoiding Past Mistakes: Lessons Learned

Because the event that closed the 22nd day could have led them back to the hole in case of losing to a Granada eager to abandon those places of danger in which they have been stuck for weeks.

Now into the second round, in addition to the victory itself, we also had to keep in mind the value of the goal average, which in this case was very favorable to the gunsmiths thanks to the 3-0 score in the league premiere in Ipurua with the goals scored by Javi Martón, Arbilla and Álvaro Rodríguez a few minutes after their debut.

Determined to alter the course of his team, the San Sebastian coach made Arambarri, Hodei and Bautista pay for the broken dishes of the last fiasco in Burgos, while he left the limping Aleix Garrido on the bench, to bring on the expected Marco Moreno, but also Cubero, Olaetxea and Martón, who curiously had not started since the Barça squad started the last of its three away draws in the 17th day in Córdoba, played on December 13.

With the two teams with the knife between their teeth, Granada was the first to unleash hostilities, although after Jonmi’s response to a header from former gunner Jorge Pascual, it was Eibar that launched itself decisively towards the goal to which Luca Zidane, also a former Barça player, returned.

Goal disallowed to Sergio

The goalkeeper who had recently returned from his participation in the Africa Cup with Algeria cleared as best he could the corner with which Corpas almost scored an Olympic goal, but could not repel the powerful rebound that Sergio finished off with a powerful shot that hit the crossbar before piercing the Nasrid fence, but the Aviles native’s celebration was cut short when he saw how the referee invalidated what would have been the Asturian’s third goal as a gunsmith due to an offside Javier Martón’s positional move in his attempt to make Zidane’s clearance uncomfortable.

With how much it is difficult for him to score, and especially away from Ipurua, frustration took its toll on an Eibar team forced to retreat again and again due to how short the ball lasted at almost any player’s feet.

But instead of adding a little more meat on the grill in the second half, his arrivals were even scarcer in a second half in which the Granadans did press one more gear, spurred by the impetus of the new blood that Pacheta was introducing, while the Barça coach clung to the eleven he put into the fray until the muscle injury that Álvaro suffered forced him to change his route map.

Instead of using the two left backs he had on the bench, he chose to bring on Javi Martínez, so Corpas had to take a step back towards the side, so if it had already cost him a world to cross his field in the first act, the options of arriving in danger diminished considerably.

Everything could have changed when Bautista, who had only been on the field for a few minutes after replacing a disappointing Javi Martón, finished off a pass from Corpas with all his heart, but unfortunately, the man from Rentería is still haunted by the bad luck he has with only two goals to his name and his shot went over the crossbar.

Without being able to take advantage of any of the few opportunities created in the Granada fiefdom, Eibar suffered in a final stretch in the Jonmi Magunazelaia once again played the role of savior by clearing Alcaraz’s dry shot from inside the area for a corner.

But the zornotzarra was not the only one who tied the hero’s cape around his neck, because if it had not been for the foot that Nolaskoain put in to deflect an impetuous attempt by Manu Lama everything could have gone to hell.

With the final whistle a sigh of relief was heard for winning a point that did not clarify the situation of the Blaugranas at all, but at least cut the bleeding of 10 defeats as a visitor.

Of course, we cannot ignore the concern generated by the low productivity that Eibar has been suffering in recent times, which did not even have any signs of a solution with the return of the team’s top scorer to ownership.