Las Palmas consolidates itself as the team to beat in a race for promotion with no clear favorite
soccer
The game in Ipurúa leaves another trail of good play for the yellows, confirming the great form of Álvaro Valles and Sadiku's goalscoring instinct
The charm -which captivates with its balanced, parsimonious and effective football- of this UD Las Palmas, continues to confirm that it is a serious contender to move up in category in a few months. At the Ipurúa stadium, against the leader, SD Éibar, he once again left another trail of good play, the great form of his goalkeeper Álvaro Valle, by far the best of the game, and the goalscoring instinct of the Albanian striker Sadiku.
Only the experience and the virtue in the header by striker Fernando Llorente deprived the island team of adding another victory. Éibar showed off their supremacy at home and gave Xavier García Pimienta's team no chance to reach their fifth consecutive victory in the League, a record that Paco Herrera still holds since the 2014-2014 season.
The team from Gipuzkoa found the ideal antidote to cut the upward trend of the Gran Canarians, who, despite the 2-2, drew praise and applause for their great moment of play in a land that has always admired the talent of the Canarian footballer.
In García Pimienta's starting eleven there were two novelties compared to the last game: Jesé returned to the eleven instead of Rober. Cardona, on the left wing, recovered his position to the detriment of Benito. Las Palmas looked down and had vertigo at the start of the match with Stoichkov's early goal in the fourth minute. Old-fashioned football: long ball, Llorente combs with his back to the goal, the ball falls in the path of the career of the top scorer from Eibar and a goal. 1-0. The gunsmiths, who came from two hesitant results, were not for surprises, in a field always conducive to direct play, combat in the midfield, and loaded with second plays, keys for the balance to tip in favor of that team. with more temper.
Éibar once again believed in what they are doing and pushed a UD Las Palmas team into a corner with no way out during a grueling first 20 minutes in which the figure of the Sevillian goalkeeper Álvaro Valles appeared to support the team with saves of great difficulty and merit.
UD Las Palmas overcame before half-time as those category teams do, with a blow from Sadiku (min. 22), and another penalty goal -the fifth from eleven meters- by Jesé Rodríguez (min. 45), in a previous action that came thanks to the tireless work of his midfielder, the Frenchman Mfulu, a footballer who is increasingly adapted and convinced of an idea and way of playing that he has been able to capture in silence. An unequivocal sign that this García Pimienta team can beat anyone and in any scenario.
It is true that Las Palmas were able to win, yes, it is true, because they had at the mercy of a rival with problems and with few resources after the injury of their most decisive player. That goal conceded with ten minutes to go seems to downplay the importance of the loot that travels to Gran Canaria. However, this sport today still respects world-class players like
Fernando Llorente, already at the end of his career. That type of striker in danger of extinction, but who so many times abandoned the Cathedral, football, San Mamés, between handkerchiefs and applause.
