Last week in Castellon: San Fernando, Magdalena, and more
Castellon beat San Fernando at home and the city celebrates Magdalena.
THE GAME: CASTELLÓN 1-0 SAN FERNANDO
FIRST HALF
The opening minutes saw Castellón come forward well, with Traoré causing some problems down the left. However the Malian was involved in the game’s first incident, as an accidental kick to the head of Lillo Castellano left the San Fernando right back unconscious and requiring medical treatment. The game resumed after he was stretchered off, and Julio Gracia had the albinegros first chance of the game, firing over from close range after the ball was chested down by Traoré. A minute later the Malian set up Villahermosa, but the midfielder couldn’t control the ball in a great position. San Fernando responded soon, Crettaz having to make himself big to deny Dani Aquino in a one-on-one. Medunjanin had the ball in the net just before the half hour mark, but the flag went up for offside. Castellón closed out of the half as the side in control, and despite a last second effort by Traoré which forced a save, couldn’t find the breakthrough after 8 minutes of added time.
SECOND HALF
The second half was one of few real chances until the last 10 minutes, when it exploded into life. San Fernando’s Aquino shot over with 66 minutes on the clock, after Alberto gave the ball away cheaply. The centre-back quickly got involved at the other end, but his header from a free kick didn’t trouble the keeper. De Miguel’s headed effort barely two minutes later was much better, and Victor Ruiz had to clear well to avoid Castellón taking the lead. The last ten minutes started well for San Fernando, as Crettaz had to make a great save to keep out a well struck free kick from distance. However things soon went wrong for the Andalucian side as the albinegros found the breakthough. Haris Medunjanin’s free kick was well saved by Fuoli, but De Miguel picked up the rebound and fired in from a tight angle thanks to a deflection off Cristian Herrera. As San Fernando went looking for the equaliser, chances opened up on the counter, first for Douglas who was denied by Fuoli and then for Kastaneer, who somehow missed an open goal after being set up perfectly by Medunjanin. The visitors had one more chance before the end, but Biabiany couldn’t connect with a dangerous cross.
LINEUPS
CD Castellón: Crettaz, Chirino, Alberto, Salva Ruiz (Indias 78), M. Sánchez (Douglas 66), Calavera, Villahermosa (Moyita 66), Julio Gracia (Kastaneer 82), Traoré (Iosifov 66), Medunjanin, De Miguel
San Fernando CD: D. Fuoli, L. Castellano (Ramos 14), C. Blanco, V. Ruiz, L. Ruiz, C. Herrera, Naveira, Alfonso (Fullana 61), N. Arroyo (Biabiany 61), D. Aquino (Marcelo 73), A. Sánchez (Pau M. 73)
Goals: Cristian Herrera og 85
Referee: Gerard Brull Acerete
Attendance: 12.370
DICK’S THOUGHTS
“I’m very happy with what I saw today, it’s a tough part of the season. The squad handled the pressure well, you need to be able to cope with the pressure to be in first place.”
“We have 60 points, we are top of the league, and we’re in a part of the season where it’s always more difficult.”
THE NEWS
Castellón celebrates Magdalena in style
With the city celebrating the Fiestas de la Magdalena in what is Castellón’s biggest week of the year, the club and fans showed up in force to put the cherry on top of an important win. From the sale of custom CD Castellón Magdalena scarves to a shuttle taking fans directly from the romeria (pilgrimage), the club’s efforts were rewarded with a sold out Castalia and a higher attendance than previous years.
Oscar knocks over kit man in post match celebrations
Bob Voulgaris’s dog Oscar, also known as the most famous four-legged Castellon fan, grabbed all the attention in the post-match celebrations, taking out the kit man as he did his laps of the pitch. In a challenge worthy of a straight red with no VAR required, Oscar surprised Primo with a challenge from behind, to cheers from the Castalia crowd. See below for footage of the incident!
Málaga make statement by beating Ibiza
Ibiza’s rough patch is most certainly not over, as the islanders lost away to direct rivals Málaga in a result that blows the playoff race wide open. While Castellón might have opened up a five point gap over Ibiza, the Malagueños have cut their deficit to the latter to just four points, as did Córdoba with their win over Antequera. Dioni scored the winning penalty at the Rosaleda in a 1-0 win, making it 12 points from the last 15 available.
THE STATS
1.36 - Castellon’s goal difference per game over the first round of games.
0.71 - Castellon’s goal difference per game in the second round so far.
5 - Castellon’s lead over Ibiza after the latter’s loss to Málaga at the weekend.