Football can be capricious at times, and occasionally even unfair. Perhaps Celta Fortuna lacked that very fortune at El Molinón to capitalize on their dominance over Sporting de Gijón; yet, whether due to bad luck or poor decisions, the match seemed to turn against them right on the stroke of halftime.
Fredi Álvarez’s charges took the initiative from the very first minute. Shortly after, a brilliant Óscar Marcos latched onto a long clearance from goalkeeper Coke Carrillo, dispossessed the defense, and opened the scoring with a spectacular chip. Just past the half-hour mark, Sporting managed to equalize, and right before the break, an unfortunate defensive incident left Pablo Meixús facing a straight red card following a VAR review. The Asturian side capitalized on the resulting free-kick to turn the match around.
They faced an uphill battle, but Celta Fortuna, true to their identity, refused to give up. Playing a man down for the entire second half, the team once again showed their mettle, proving that no one can match their afouteza. Sporting began to look increasingly uncomfortable against a Fortuna side that managed to narrow the gap through a goal from Kibet, his first in the Second Division. With the team firing on all cylinders and the opposition lacking answers, Fredi Álvarez turned to his bench, bringing on three youth players. Among them was 16-year-old David Sueiro, who made his Second Division debut on the historic stage of El Molinón.
Perhaps they needed five more minutes, or just one final chance. What is certain is that Fortuna came agonizingly close to a heroic comeback, earning the pride and respect of everyone who had the pleasure of watching them compete and defend the badge with their very last breath.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
3 – Sporting de Gijón: Yáñez; Rosas, Duñabeitia, Jorge Sáenz, Cuenca (Sánchez, min. 45), Pablo García (Iker, min. 45); Manu Rodríguez, Corredera, Enol Prendes (Mata, min. 58), Gaspar (Miguel Conde, min. 75); and Casas (Sarco, min. 45)
2 – Celta Fortuna: Coke Carrillo; Germain Milla (Vladimir, min. 61), Pablo Gavián, Quique Ribes, Anxo Rodríguez (Ángel Arcos min. 61); Joel López (Jan Oliveras, min. 89), Pablo Meixús, Adrià Capdevila; Óscar Marcos, Kibet (David Sueiro, min. 82); Álvaro Marín (Jorge Pérez, min. 82).
Goals: 0-1, min. 7: Óscar Marcos. 1-1, min. 33: Casas. 2-1, min. 45+11: Casas. 3-1, min. 59: Rosas. 3-2, min. 77: Kibet.
Referee: Cid Camacho (Castile and León committee). He issued a straight red card to Pablo Meixús, while Anxo and Quique Ribes received yellow cards. For Sporting de Gijón, he booked Cuenca, Sarco, Manu Rodríguez, Mata, and Miguel Conde.
Match details: Matchday 8 fixture of LaLiga Hypermotion played at El Molinón stadium before 18,939 spectators. Prior to the match, a tribute was paid to Óscar Celada, the Spanish national football team’s doctor, who took the field carrying the World Cup trophy.
