The Mini Submarine return to the top of the table after winning a hard-fought match against CD Castellón thanks to goals from Arana and Iosifov
Miguel Álvarez’s team won the postponed game from Matchday 13 which took place at the Mini Estadi. The Yellows earned a hard-fought victory in front of their fans and got three important points to put them at the top of the Primera RFEF Group 2 table.
The match started with a high intensity from both teams, something to be expected from a derby where two teams in the upper echelons of the table were facing off. Each ball was fought for like it was the last one of the game, as both sides looked for the first goal to put them ahead in the tie. Despite the Yellows’ best attempts, it was CD Castellón who struck first with a César Diaz goal after 11 minutes.
The B team did not give in and with nearly a quarter of an hour gone, Juuan Carlos Arana, with a placed shot from outside the box, had a good chance to equalize. The Mini Submarine continued to have good chances. Sergio Lozano’s free-kick from the edge of the box was saved well by the away side’s goalkeeper.
With 34 minutes on the clock, Lozano was the man at the centre of another great chance from the Yellows, with another direct free-kick which troubled the Castellón goalkeeper.
The Mini Submarine’s insistence paid off. In the 38th minute, Migue Leal’s cross to the back post found Arana’s head, with the Canarian forward finding the back of the next. His eighth goal fo the current season levelled the derby.
The goal helped Miguel Álvarez’s team grow, and they looked to go into the break with an advantage on the scoreboard. For the third time in a row, Lozano tried to get a goal, but he was denied by the crossbar after a great piece of individual play.
Despite the Yellows’ barrage in the closing stages of the opening half, it was 1-1 at the break.
The start of the second half could not have gone any better for the home time. After ten minutes where both teams fought for every ball, Villarreal B once more found the back of the next. In the 55th minute, No.9, Arana, continued his sweet moment of form, getting his second goal of the afternoon with a potent shot after pinball in the box.
Castellón drew level again in the 67th minute through Diori, who capitalized on a set-piece strategy.
However, there was still time for a happy ending for the Yellows. In the 80th minute, Nikita Iosifov, who had just come on for Diego Collado, got away from two defenders before firing past Álvaro Campos to make it 3-2 on the scoreboard.
The match would end with that result. Villarreal B, thanks to Arana’s double and Iosifov’s spectacular strike, got the three points and returned to the top of Primera RFEF Group 2.
Lineups:
Villarreal B: Iker Á.; M. A. Leal, Martín, P. Iñiguez, Tasende; S. Lozano (m. 86, Ramón Bueno), A. Del Moral, Carlo, D. Collado (m. 68, Iosifov); Pacheco (m. 68, Ahn), Arana (m. 86, Á. Forés).
CD Castellón: Á. Campos; Moyano, Y. Diori, Sibille, Aarón (m. 83, Koke), Salva Ruiz; Borja M. (m. 83, A. Marcos), D. Torres, Kandoussi; Mario Barco (m. 83, Cubillas), César Díaz (m. 70, Ortuño).
Goals: 0-1. Min 11: César Díaz. 1-1. Min 38: Arana. 2-1. Min 55: Arana. 2-2. Min 67: Y. Diori. 3-2. Min 80: Iosifov.
Referee: Germán Cid Camacho, Booked: Iosifov (Villarreal B); Sibille, Borja M., Salva Ruiz (CD Castellón).
Matchday information: Match between Villarreal B and CD Castellón, corresponding to the postponed Matchday 13 of Primera RFEF Group 2 at the Mini Estadi.
