The first loss of UD Las Palmas this season came this Saturday at Montilivi against Girona (5-2), with the yellows squandering the symbolic opportunity to take sole leadership of the standings. The match will be remembered for Iván Jaime's debut goal and the harsh red card received by Jesé, leaving Las Palmas to play with one less player in the final stretch of the ill-fated night.
The return of Enrique Clemente was the main highlight in the starting lineup of the match. The defender from Maño regained his usual position at left-back after recovering from the injury he suffered during the final days of the recent preseason.
The discomfort in the buildup of plays was the first challenge that UD Las Palmas had to face. Girona managed to press effectively during a phase of the match where there were no spaces or combinations to advance towards Gazzaniga's position.
In that game context, Girona managed to take the lead on the scoreboard with a goal by Justin in the 21st minute, striking a powerful shot from the edge of the box that Caro couldn't reach.
Las Palmas went to the locker room with very negative feelings, showing very little in attack and facing numerous problems in maintaining possession and defending with the ball. The coach made decisions during halftime, bringing on Bonfanti and Iván Jaime.
The turnaround happened immediately, along with the equalizer. Iván Jaime was involved in three plays during the first two minutes of the second half. First, he executed a vertical slalom that ultimately lacked a finishing touch. Then, from the edge of the box, he unleashed a good shot that Gazzaniga managed to deflect. Moments later, the debuting winger scored the 1-1 by picking up a ball in the box that had been deflected by Girona's goalkeeper.
The match returned to its original balance in just two minutes of the second half. But the Canarian joy was short-lived, as within five minutes Girona regained the lead with two more goals. The 2-1 came from a misplaced pass by Caro, which Fran Beltrán capitalized on to score into an empty net. The 3-1 followed a turnover, with Asprilla finishing a counterattack with a shot into the top corner of the Canarian goal.
Asprilla also scored the fourth goal for the home team in another counterattack before the referee sent off Jesé for committing a foul in the midfield. The trajectory of the match was already very negative, although the yellows reduced the deficit with a goal by Miyashiro when they were down to ten men in the final stretch.
The fifth and final goal for Girona was scored by Izan González in the 90th minute, following a steal and a solo run into the box.