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1-1: Draw in the first leg

A goal by Reyes allows Espanyol to equalize in the first leg of the round of 32

The Espanyol got a good tie against Alcorcón in a very uncomfortable game for the Catalans who were surprised by a tough rival. The locals got ahead on the scoreboard shortly after the restart and the reality is that Espanyol had enough problems to generate offensive game. However, a genius action of Baptistao finished at the feet of Reyes to achieve the tie.

Quique Sanchez Flores had announced in the previous: it would be a complicated match, basically because of the intensity of the premises and the lack of physical space to guide and lead the game of attack. He was not wrong at all. The pitch seemed smaller than it actually was and the pile of players around the ball was a constant. There was not a moment for the creation because all the plays that the blue-and-whites attempted died from the intensity (or continued faults) of the locals, who retreated with the same speed with which they tried to go against it.

Quique had also announced minutes for the less usual. In fact, none of those who won on Leganés did not start. Julio Velázquez did almost the same with the Alcorcón: only Elguezábal and Óscar Plano were in the eleven with respect to those who thrashed Oviedo.

In any case, the first 45 minutes were experienced with the absence of clear occasions in either area. Roberto had to halt a shot from Aguza soon after starting and the barrier ruled a foul thrown by Salva Sevilla in the final stretch of the first half.

The second half started with the same signs of identity, but with a more determined Espanyol from the first moment, with a kick from Melendo and an attempt from Javi López's shot that fell short. The locals responded with a manual counter led by Óscar Plano and a shot by Álvaro Giménez that Roberto touched but ended up meekly entering the goal.

The 1-0 returned the game to the Alcorcón field. The Espanyol began to gain meters and the whole potter was recovering the breath standing near its goal, while the local technician demanded order to its players.

The departure of Baptistao helped Caicedo to fix the Alcorcon central, although the locals did not give up at any time to go against. They knew they had to manage the minutes and the advantage they had on the scoreboard and used the speed as a weapon to keep the whites out of the local goal.

Precisely, a good action of the Brazilian was the prelude of the goal of the tie. The '11 'blanquiazul went into the right wing and when it seemed that he ran out of options he attended for Reyes to achieve his first goal as a player. The Alcorcón was without a triumph that caressed, while the Espanyol channeled a tie that had complicated a little.

 

"The result is all right"

 

Quique Sánchez Flores that his team made "a correct match" and points out the difficulty of this type of fixtures

 

Espanyol achieved a draw in the first leg of the round of 32 of the King's Cup against Alcorcón. Although the manager, Quique Sánchez Flores, recognized that it was not the best match of his team, considers that the result is good. "It's predictable. The player trains well and we are very happy, but the competition is something else and we can not expect them to have the same response as the usual. It was a game with difficult conditions, with an emotionally strong opponent and a field where it is difficult to play because there are few spaces and it is difficult to create chances. The idea was to make a serious game and we made a correct match. I give the result good because they are 180 minutes and the characteristics of the duel will change in our field. We know we have to win, but we leave the tie open with a result that benefits us", he said.

Sánchez Flores has insisted that playing such games is "complicated. It's hard to get out and do everything right. I try to be understanding and there is a space of confidence for the players. We are interested in seeing how those who are not habitual compete. This is a tie and it is not so easy to pass on to players when they are so far from a goal. You have to be cautious and in these eliminations the important thing is to remove the drama".

Quique, lastly, has had a memory for his former player Cléber Santana and the people who died in the plane crash on Tuesday in Colombia. "It's a giant sadness; the accident is a terrible stick. Cléber met him closely, a young guy, good guy and very dignified for this profession that has gone too soon".