UD Ibiza achieved a valuable draw yesterday during their visit to Ponferradina (1-1), in a match marked by Sergi Enrich’s goal 27 seconds into the game and by the reaction capacity of the Celestes, who had multiple chances to turn the score around. Kevin Appin, the best of the match, achieved a draw that keeps Paco Jémez‘s team in the fight for the play-off for promotion to the Primera Division.
As expected, Appin started the game to reinforce the midfield, with Miki Villar and Herrera on the wings and Guerrero in front. Paco Jémez’s approach was of little use, as the first action of the match turned into night for UD Ibiza at El Toralín. Espiau found space between the lines, entered the box with speed and back-heeled the ball to Sergi Enrich, whose shot surprised Germán after hitting Rubén González, Jémez’s other new signing to replace David Goldar.
Over the next few minutes, the Pitiusas pressed hard and could have been rewarded for two errors by their opponents’ ball distribution. Ibiza, determined to keep up the pressure, reached three quarters of the pitch with some ease, but lacked the clarity of ideas to put their operations into practice. Herrera had a chance to equalise after 25 minutes when he chested down a pass at the far post, but he was too slow and his shot missed the target.
The pace slowed and Jon Pérez Bolo’s men took the game to a physical terrain that was favorable to them, with Paris Adot making dangerous runs and chances from set ups by Ojeda and Enrich on the half hour mark.
After a few minutes of disconnection by UD Ibiza, Appin grabbed a ball and headed powerfully to the edge of the box, where he took a cross shot that flew just wide of Amir’s post. But the clearest chance came in the 36th minute for Miki Villar, after a great move down the left flank and a devilish cross from Herrera that the Galician winger missed with everything on his side. The first half ended with a clear but unsuccessful Celeste siege, first with a header by Herrera at the far post that was cleared off the line by Amir and then with a tremendous shot by Villar from the edge of the box that the Iranian saved with his back after hitting the crossbar.
Deportiva caught UD Ibiza out after the break and almost made it 2-0 with one of their four early chances, most notably a subtle Espiau back-heeled shot that went just wide of the post.
Second half back and forth
Escobar seemed to be the only one capable of finding space, as he left Herrera alone on the left flank to put in a cross-shot that Grima failed to reach. Ibiza woke up and, to renew his artillery, Paco Jémez gave Raúl Sánchez his debut in a double substitution along with Javi Lara, with half an hour to go.
Germán would prove decisive in the outcome of the game after he blocked Espiau’s close-range shot following Ríos Reina’s superb left-footed pass. The Elche man’s intervention sowed the seeds of the equaliser. Another exquisite right-footed pass from Fran Grima allowed Kevin Appin to get forward at the near post and head home at the far post to make it 1-1 (72 mins).
The Frenchman sealed his great performance at El Toralín with an extraordinary goal to take the match to an open and thrilling finale. So much so that there was even a goal by Saverio in stoppage time for Ponferradina that was disallowed for offside by Cristian, a decision that was corroborated by the VAR to leave the score even.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.