The physical, and especially emotional, wear and tear caused by SP Villafranca’s defeat against Lepe in the Federation Cup last Wednesday took its toll in this Sunday’s match against Arroyo, 1-2. Ruiz’s men have enjoyed some of the most important moments in the club’s history, not only because of what was at stake (qualifying for the Copa del Rey), but because of the unprecedented support of the team’s fans.
After losing in extra time in Lepe, and the moral blow that it entailed, the poor performance of the team on this Sunday morning is not surprising. Still, he didn’t deserve to lose.
El Arroyo benefited from a first goal in the first half, against an erratic SP Villafranca that lost numerous balls in the center of the field. The lack of freshness and “spark” was more than evident, and rivals took advantage of that.
Once the first goal was scored, Arroyo’s team backed down and took advantage of the loss of time in many moments of the match.
At the end of the match, Baaqi, once again the most incisive of the yellow team, forced a penalty that Julio Rengel scored.
In the final minutes the locals went for the second goal, but it was Arroyo, in stoppage time, who scored the second and decisive goal in a controversial action that the local fans claimed as possible offside.
Full stop for this team that aspires to important goals this season. (Drafting)