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JAVEA
HOLD THEIR OWN AGAINST FORM TEAM Report
by Morten Svensgaard
A bumper crowd,
taking advantage of the lower admission prices, flocked to see the patched-up CD
Javea take on in-form CD Polop on a cool Sunday afternoon
at the Campo d'Esports. Coach Jose Luis had yet again been
forced to make alterations to his starting line up due to the recent departures
of key players and a long ever-increasing line of injuries. But the home crowd
was pleased to see the return of goalkeeper Ortolá
after his unexplained absence two weeks ago and he was backed up by a
defence consisting of the experience of Dino and Rubén
Serrío with the two promising youngsters Jaume and Feliu bolstering the centre.
Up front an injured Onieva had to give way to the young speedy striker Alex
Mata.
Expectations on the stands weren´t high as CD
Polop entered
the game boasting an unbeaten run of six games, whilst the new young Javea line-up
were still on the lookout for a victory since mid-October. Nonetheless, the
rojiblancos started the game by
putting on an optimistic and attacking game, seeing several attempts of dangerous
pace
from the enthusiastic Youssoupha, top goalscorer David Ivars and the tricky
Pablo Irigoyen. The impressive crowd
estimated at around 500 people, easily the biggest attendance of the season, got the first taste of CD Javea's flair for direct style
attacking when Pablo Irigoyen and Valentin set up a chance after just 4 minutes.
Sadly, David Ivars sent his first-time shot just past the Polop goal.
Javea continued to try and find openings in the attacking
game, but struggled to make the killer passes needed against a strong and well
organised Polop midfield and defence. Slowly Polop worked their way to a more
dominating role in the game, and after 15 minutes of play the visitors came forward
to secure themselves a corner which passed by a stranded Ortolá but was headed away by a
Javea defender on the line. Polop maintained a steady pressure on the young
Javea defense through the middle of the first half and almost benefited after
20 minutes when a poor giveaway pass gave Polop an open
opportunity. A sigh of relief went through the crowd as the Polop striker
hammered it way above Ortolá and the Javea goal. Polop kept the pressure on but
a very talented and promising performance from Jaume and Feliu ensured that their
actual shots at goal were few and far between.
Meanwhile CD Javea managed to
stabilise defensively and create a couple of excellent counter-attacking
opportunities, the biggest of which was credited to the superior technical
skills of Pablo Irigoyen who found Mata for a header in front of the goal;sadly, the
youngster missed the top-left corner by a metre. Another fast paced counter
attack awarded Javea a freekick just outside the penalty area to the left, but
a weak shot by Dino was easily picked out by Polop keeper Tonet.
After 40
minutes a fairly harmless cross into the Javea area
turned dramatic as goalie Ortolá went out to punch the ball to
safety, he accidentally connected with left-back Rubén Serrío, who fell dramatically
and worryingly to the
ground. Called on by concerned players, medical staff quickly rushed to the aid
of the prostrate defender and the crowd fell silent
as it appeared deemed
unsafe to move the player for treatment before an ambulance arrived, reversing
slowly on the pitch at the far end. Judging
from the careful way the medical staff moved him to the ambulance, it
looked like a very serious injury for Rubén but later reports suggest that it
wasn't as bad as first thought.
During those minutes of waiting for the ambulance you
could have heard a hairpin drop in the stands - never has that many supporters
been that quiet for what felt like that long. The referee blew the half time
whistle after a few uneventful minutes of extra time that seemed subdued by
the accident.
The second half took off with a hefty battle for midfield
dominance, as Polop had obviously been told to pick up their pace during the
break. However the fiercely fighting forces of CD Javea managed to stand
their ground in an increasingly intense physical duel, resulting in few open
chances but a lot of man to man encounters in the midfield. It was exactly the sort of game
that makes Youssoupha shine the brightest, and the defensive midfielder did
indeed manage to pull off a tirelessly impressive performance that time and
again broke the attacking waves of Polop in strong companionship with Valentin
and Duque.
The first dramatic event of the second half in the penalty areas
came after 51 minutes when Pablo Irigoyen was kicked directly in the face whilst
chasing a loose ball. After much turmoil it turned out the referee had
strangely awarded an indirect freekick (!?!) inside the penalty area. However
the rojiblancos failed to transform the opportunity into anything dangerous with a weak
attempt far from goal from David Ivars as the only outcome.
The increasingly
enthusiastic crowd saw their biggest chance of the game
after 70 minutes when Pablo Irigoyen broke through the
defensive line of Polop with a skillful display of supreme technique and
pacey dribbling abilities. The tiny forward lifted the ball towards the
far post but a header from a Polop defender deflected the dangerous ball up on
the top bar of the goal for a corner-kick. Shortly afterwards Javea managed to break
through down the right wing aided by strong displays from Valentin and Dino,
who found David Ivars in the area who fired a fierce shot towards goal but missed the
target by about a metre.
After 77
minutes the Javea defence was outplayed
completely and a cross from the left saw two Polop players alone with Ortolá in
the penalty area. Luckily the custodian showed his amazing one-on-one skills by
storming out of his goal and save what looked like a certain goal for the
visitors. Even more impressively was Ortolá's 'Gordon Banks' style save two
minutes
later when a failed clearance in the Javea defence led to a flat and hard
short range shot right down at the bottom corner of the goal. But with, an
incredibly speedy reaction, the Javea keeper managed to dive down and parry the
vicious shot with one hand. Ortolá is certainly owed a big part of the
honours for a surprise point secured by the CD Javea team.
Towards the end of
the game CD Javea regained some ground and managed to produce a series of
chances, thanks to Gerardo being sent on for another comeback appearance as
he continues his return from injury.
The tall attacking midfielder/winger has a real flair for one-twos and spice up
with powerful runs at the opposing defence, causing Polop
considerable troubles as he attempted his intriguing
challenges. The biggest chance however came after a sneaky Javea free kick
outside the area was chipped above the Polop defenders to find Pablo Irigoyen
inside the penalty area, but sadly he missed the open chance for a late goal
for the Javea underdogs.
The second half came to an end with a mixture of worry
about the injury of Rubén Serrío and a positive spirit after a surprisingly
strong performance of the home team. Jose Luis has definitely managed to work
wonders with the team despite losing several key players and if he manages
to keep the current line-up of highly talented youngsters intact, the future
looks nowhere near as cloudy as the recent financial trouble and exodus of
players might have suggested. Players such as Pablo Irigoyen, Gerardo, the currently
injured Brad De Blasi and Vicente have already shown that they're more than
ready to make prolific contributions at Preferente level. All that is needed to
further the competitiveness is a long run without departures or injuries to see
the new Javea team integrate and automate their game further.
Among the new
players in the line-up the central defenders Jaume and Feliu stood out
positively whilst Mata was put on a more than difficult task as a lone striker
in the absence of Onieva, putting in a tireless effort and showing good speed to
carve out a couple of chances although he still doesn't quite have the cynical and
clinical level of finishing upheld by Onieva.
Overall, a very entertaining and eventful 0-0 draw
versus a team that has been strolling up the league in recent weeks. It was
a display that surely gives Javea supporters a boost of confidence for the future
of the team with strong performances across the ranks. Further it's a pleasure
to see the crowd growing for home games in times of trouble. Support is exactly
what the young team needs to develop into a Preferente contender.
CD
JAVEA Team:
Ortolá, Dino, Rubén Serrío (Vicente, 39m), Feliu, Jaume, Youssoupha,
Pablo Irigoyen, David Ivars, Duque (Orenes, 81m), Mata, Valentin
(Gerardo, 73m). Subs not used: Fran, Onieva. Booked: Vicente,
Gerardo, Orenes. Goals: none.
CD
POLOP Team:
Tonet, Juanlu, Mingot, Jose (Ochando, 80m), Borda,
Jose Miguel, Ivan (Amat, 65m), Javi La Paz (Jorda, 69m),
Alberto, Puncho, Ubeda. Subs not used: Pato, Antonio. Booked: Mingot. Sent-off:
coach Javi Rodado, non-playing sub Antonio. Goals:
none
Referee:
Fernando Gonzalez Ferrando. Venue: Campo
d'Esports, Javea Attendance: 500 Weather:
fine and clear
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