Las Palmas cannot find the goal to avoid their second defeat in Gran Canaria (0-1)
Second home defeat for UD Las Palmas, this time against UD Almería (0-1). The yellow team gave their all on the pitch, dominated possession (63%), but could not prevent Sergio Arribas' solitary goal from being the only one to take root on the scoreboard at the Estadio de Gran Canaria.
The main novelty in the starting eleven for Gran Canaria was Jonathan Viera, the driving force behind the victory in the second half of the match in Leganés. The form of the yellow number 21 convinced coach Luis García Fernández to give leadership to the experienced player in a match that promised a great battle for ball possession. The coaches had warned that this would be one of the keys to the clash in the seventh round.
However, the approach to the match was not comfortable for the yellows. Almería repeated the incisive pressing that Leganés had practiced a week earlier, and Las Palmas struggled to connect lines and take advantage of ball possession, which at halftime showed 61.5% in favor of the home team.
The home players managed to finish some of their initiatives with shots, but without successfully breaking through the last defensive line of the Almería team. The actions of Marvin Park on the right flank were the most penetrating. But Las Palmas went into halftime without achieving the final pass or a shot that could beat goalkeeper Andrés Fernández.
Their opponent, on the other hand, managed to reach the break with a minimal advantage. Sergio Arribas had already threatened with a header in the 18th minute, following a service from former yellow Álex Muñoz. And this same player, after a play on the left by Nico Melamed, scored the 0-1 by winning the jump against the island defenders and heading the ball down. Dinko Horkas could not stop it.
The best attacking move for the home team came at the start of the second half, with a shot from Marvin Park that went wide. The Balearic player completed the best offensive combination for the yellows. This play occurred moments before the referee, following a VAR review, left UD Las Palmas with one player less due to the expulsion of Milos Lukovic.
The match came to life, waking up after some of its seams were torn. Almería could have scored a second goal, with a shot from Melamed hitting the post a minute before losing their captain, Embarba, to a second yellow card.
Las Palmas refreshed their attack with substitutions, gritted their teeth in search of the equalizing goal but could not find it. They also took risks and could have conceded another goal as the visitors' counterattacks were very threatening in this uncertain final stretch of the match.