Villarreal B took the lead with a goal from Lozano but end up losing to Ponferradina
Villarreal B went down to SD Ponferradina (2-1) at El Toralín despite a great first half from Miguel Álvarez’s side. The home managed to come back from Sergio Lozano’s goal just before the break with goals from Vallejo and Amo in the second half.
Villarreal B showed their intentions from the first minute of play, positioning almost all eleven players in the opposition half and trying to filter inside passes in quick combinations. However, Ponfe tried to cause problems on the counter-attack and Yuri was dangerous in the final third of the pitch. The captain had the first chance of the game, trying to surprise Iker Álvarez from the edge of the box.
For his part, Haissem was really electric on the right flank and was continually causing problems for the home defence. The French winger had the first clear chance of the game, testing Amir from the edge of the box. The Mini Submarine found it difficult to generate in the last third due to the opposition’s low block and the final pass often crashed through a sea of legs. Even so, Sergio Lozano took advantage of a dead ball in the box to slot it into the net, scoring the first goal in the last piece of play of the first half.
Despite the goal, it was not going to be a walk in the park for Villarreal B. The fog grew and, before the hour mark, Ponferradina put the equaliser on the scoreboard following their game plan, through counter-attacks. Hugo Vallejo found the net past Iker to level the scores.
Miguel Álvarez’s men kept trying and Fer Niño, who had come on, had a good chance with an individual move. However, it was Ponfe who got the second goal, pulling one back with a goal from Amo in the final stretch, just after Pacheco’s sending off. Thus, the Mini Submarine dropped points in the first game of the year, marked by heavy fog, and in which they started dominating.
Villarreal B’s next match will be their debut at the Estadio de la Cerámica and will take place next Saturday 14th January at 4:15pm CET against Real Zaragoza.
Line-ups
Ponferradina: Amir; Paris Adot, Amo, Pascanu, Moi Delgado; Dani Ojeda, Erik Moran (m. 58, Kelechi), Dieguez, Hugo Vallejo; Derik (m. 71, Edu Espiau), Yuri (m. 86, J. Naranjo).
Villarreal B: Iker Álvarez; M.A. Leal, Dela, P. Iñiguez, Tasende; Haissem (m. 84, Liberman), Del Moral, Pacheco, S. Lozano; Collado, Forés (m. 68, Fer Niño).
Goals: 0-1. Min. 45. S. Lozano. 1-1. Min. 57: Hugo Vallejo. 2-1. Min. 81: Amo.
Referee: Sánchez López. Booked: Hugo Vallejo, Dani Ojeda (Ponferradina). Sent off: Pacheco (Villarreal B).
Matchday information: Match between SD Ponferradina and Villarreal B, corresponding to Gameweek 22 of the 2022/23 LaLiga SmartBank season, held at Estadio El Toralín.
