08/30/2024 20:23hs. Updated on 08/30/2024 23:10hs.
There were 27,358 people dressed warmly and hooded. When Kily’s team plays, there is no weather warning. Simply football: with another sold out in its stands, Unión tied against Riestra. González’s team transmits and, thanks to a good present, it gained the confidence of a fan base that, in the last matches, bursts on April 15 to see them play.
Union – Riestra.Photo:@clubaunion
And the energy of the stands is replicated on the pitch. This Unión team comes out to be the protagonist, that is the maxim of an intense team that controls the game from start to finish. The statistics yesterday were blatant: 79% – 21%! The Tatengue possession during the whole game, the ball only lasted a couple of seconds for a Riestra who, however, was rigid. That’s what Malevo is, a tough nut to crack.
Despite dominance and superiority, they were unable to overcome the script of a Riestra that, knowing its advantages and disadvantages, knew how to measure the pulse of the match by understanding where to position itself. If one looks at the Malevo’s results table in the tournament, one can appreciate a varied palette of colors that shows its results: green, red, red, green, green. Against Unión, they got their first draw in a clear example of how their performance improved in the second half of the year thanks to a trademark: defensive play.
Union – Riestra.Photo:@clubaunion
The Ogre puts a line of five at the back and the three in the middle very close to the area – as if he wanted to form a line of eight. Then, he proceeds to give the ball to the rival and wait for their reaction so he can act accordingly.
Unable to string together passes between the lines and suffering from a lack of effectiveness that did not match the number of chances created, the home team was a nuisance in Riestra’s area throughout the match, but the lack of goals and a good performance by goalkeeper Arce, who blocked the clearest chances, denied them the goal.
The minutes went by and, when everyone expected the home team to make it 1-0, surprisingly, Riestra had a chance to win it at the end. Tate let two key points slip away in the fight for the lead.
Union – Riestra.Photo:@clubaunion
Point that marks the path to follow
For Riestra, the draw against Unión is worth a victory: it is the first time they have earned a point in this tournament.
And although Fabbiani’s team managed to improve its performance compared to the first stage of the year – it left the relegation zone and entered the top ten of the tournament – its constant irregularity marked an extremist tandem: either it won or it lost. Until yesterday, it was difficult to save a point when a match was elusive. Now, having unlocked this objective, it must go for that necessary consistency to fight.
