Daya Nueva 2 v. A.t Orihuela 1

This evening’s visitors to La Puebla were high flying Orihuela, they sit third in the league having just one point (ten) more than Daya (9) who are in seventh place.  So quite a lot riding on tonight’s result !  Daya started well, very well, and took the game to their visitors. 

It wasn’t too long though before Orihuela found their own rhythm and the game became very competitive with end to end action.  Jaime in Daya’s goal was the busier of the two keepers and had to make a smart stop on ten minutes. 

It was all systems go from both sides as the half wore on but there was not much in the way of goal mouth action so far.  On thirty five minutes a good move up the Daya right saw Josue fire in a fierce shot that surely stung the keeper’s fingers as he made the save.  Orihuela went straight down Daya’s end and blasted a very good chance over the bar! 

Then another great attack by Daya, again, up their right saw a tremendous shot well saved low down by the keeper.  Yet another good passage of play on forty minutes saw a good shot from the home side just go the wrong side of the upright.  You just had the feeling that it would be Daya who would open the scoring.  That is exactly what happened, it was a scrappy goal scored by Jose Luis with a toe poke,but they all count. 

So 1-0 at the break and deservedly so for Daya.  The second half was minutes old when Daya’s Tuto got his head to a great free kick but his effort went over the crossbar. Then on fifty minutes the home side were through on goal but the advancing keeper was just first to the ball.  Most of the play was now coming from Daya and a good effort on fifty five minutes produced yet another good save.  Just two minutes later Jaime had to make a good save himself to keep Daya’s lead intact. 

Orihuela then had a passage of play that saw them force three corners back to back forcing Daya into some desperate defending.  The home side had hit a bit of a flat spot and desperately needed a second goal to steady the ship but it looked very likely to be the visitors who would score next.  It was all square on sixty eight minutes when from yet another corner Orihuela needed two bites of the cherry to force the ball over Daya’s goal line. 

The corner count for the visitors was mounting by the minute and Daya were hanging on desperately as the visitors went in search of a second goal.  Jaime was forced into making a superb save on seventy three minutes to keep the score level.  Marcos came on as a sub for Daya on seventy seven minutes and was straight into action.  His powerful run and superb cross saw Franki also just on bury a powerful shot for 2-1 Daya. 

The final ten minutes saw Orihuela throw everything at Daya but just as he and the rest of the back four had done all game Tuto kept the visitors at bay.  So 2-1 final score to Daya and very well deserved.  Coach, Jesus, must be well made up by the result and the manner in which it was achieved.  Man of the Match was Tuto.  He was massive at the back all evening.

Daya Dave, Team Sponsor:  Segurlab