Javi Calleja’s Oviedo handled their demanding visit to Riazor with flying colours
With a solitary goal from Alberto del Moral right after the start of the match, Real Oviedo achieved a historic victory at Riazor, where they used their experience to contain RC Deportivo (0-1), who dominated, enjoyed some chances to equalise but ended up suffering their first defeat of the year at their stadium.
Javi Calleja’s Oviedo handled their demanding visit to Riazor, where they had never won in the Second Division, with flying colours. Alberto del Moral’s early goal paved the way for victory, in a game they had to chew on against a Dépor side who only needed six minutes to learn that in professional football every mistake is paid for dearly.
Last season, Imanol Idiakez’s team based their promotion on their strength in set-piece situations and the individuality of their attackers. In the toughest second division in recent years, that will not be enough to win matches.
A defensive blunder following a free kick by Paulino ruined Dépor’s game plan. Alberto del Moral put Oviedo ahead in the sixth minute, after the VOR room corrected the offside call by Lax Franco.
That goal and Calleja’s goal made the white and blue team smaller, unable to test Aarón Escandell throughout the first half. Lucas Pérez was well held by the defenders, and David Mella’s flashes were not enough to damage the Oviedo defence.
The second half was a different story. In just three minutes, Mario Soriano, after a great individual action, and Yeremay, with a weak shot, showed that their team wanted the tie. These were the first warnings for the blue and white team.
In a play started by goalkeeper Germán Parreño, in which Dépor came out of the opposition’s pressure with quality, the best chance for the Galicians came in the 56th minute. Aarón Escandell saved a powerful shot from Ximo Navarro, who also tried seconds later with a header that ended up in the goalkeeper’s hands.
Calleja refreshed his midfield with the introduction of veteran Santi Cazorla, who brought calm to his team’s play when they had the ball. In the final minutes, Dépor cornered Oviedo in their own half but were unable to equalise. In stoppage time, the Asturians could have sealed their victory but Germán Parreño prevented Paraschiv’s goal with a spectacular intervention in the one-on-one.
— Technical sheet:
0 – RC Deportivo: Germán Parreño; Petxarroman, Pablo Vázquez, Pablo Martínez, Ximo Navarro; José Ángel (Hugo Rama, min.84), Villares; Yeremay (Barbero, min.70), Lucas Pérez, Mella; Mario Soriano.
1 – Real Oviedo: Aaron Escandell; Lemos (Lucas, min.46), David Costas, Dani Calvo, Rahim; Alberto del Moral; Paulino (Hassan, min.60), Sibo, Dotor (Cazorla, min.60), Sebas Moyano (Álex Cardero, min.70); Alemao (Friday, min.81).
Goals: 0-1 Alberto del Moral, min.6
Referee: Lax Franco (Murcia committee). He cautioned Pablo Martínez (min. 22) and Mario Soriano (min. 31) on behalf of RC Deportivo, and Dotor (min. 24), Sebas Moyano (min. 28) and Lucas (min. 50) on behalf of Real Oviedo.
Incidents: Match corresponding to the first day of LaLiga Hypermotion played at the Riazor municipal stadium in front of 25,824 spectators.
