Archive for October 21st, 2016
Goals, Draws But Nothing To Dance About

Some people go to church on a Sunday, I do my worshipping elsewhere. Two games in a day seemed like heaven but both matches left me feeling my beer glass was half empty. CD Marino let a 2-0 lead slip to tie 2-2 with San Fernando, and CD Tenerife were downright awful in a 1-1 draw with Cadiz that they did their best to lose.
 
CD Marino have made a good start to the season and are in the leading pack in Group 12 of the Tercera Division. Without either of their big centre forwards, Adan and Ammed it was left to Kevin Castro to take on the central role, he hit an early shot into the visiting goalies hands but battled hard as always. Fran Alonso looked good with a switch to the left and had some meaty tussles with Feito of the Gran Canarian side. Two former home players, Amado, and Eslava, lined up for the yellows but the nippy Joel was their best forward. Maikel tried a long shot that went wide and Mendy did similar for Marino near the end of the first half.
Marino grabbed the lead with a deft flick of the head by sub Facundo and a clever turn by Alberto gave him a clear sight of goal to make it 2-0. It should have been comfortable from that point but the visiting coach had other ideas. A double change and an attacking frame of mind brought its rewards within minutes. First Feito finished off good creative play from sub Dani, then captain Israel tied the scores, suddenly Marino looked vulnerable. Both sides had chances to win, Marino with a free kick that the keeper punched away, and San Fernando with several raids that Cicovic did well to keep out of his goal. Marino will see it as two points lost but hopefully will learn to not sit back on a good lead.
If the first game left me a little disappointed, the second was like someone cutting up my Shoot league ladders, and scribbling all over my programme collection. CD Tenerife are struggling again but home to lowly Cadiz should have been a fairly easy home win, instead we lost 1-1, it felt like a loss.
The first half was poor, a midfield lacking ideas and still no start for Cristo Gonzalez. Choco´s shooting boots were back in Honduras and only good defending from Camille and Inaki kept Cadiz at bay. Suso and Amath were quiet on the wings and no one had the confidence or directness to test the visiting defence. Ortuño must have felt sorry for CDT he clattered Inaki and got sent off just before the break. That left a clear plan for the second half, attack the short handed team. It seemed obvious to the 8,425 crowd but the coach, the team, or both didn´t get the idea and were if anything even more cautious in the second half.

Jouini took over from Crosas but the service to the attack was still woeful, Suso tried to ignite something but his ball to Amath was lost because of poor control. Omar for Carlos Ruiz could have helped but after impressing up front in the midweek cup game, Omar was deep on the right as little more than a full back. Finally Cristo was brought on after 69 minutes for the predictable Amath, eventually the other players realised it might be a good idea to feed Cristo on the left. Floating in a perfect dipping cross, Cristo found the head of leaping Jouini who showed lethal finishing. If the big Tunisian can make a habit of scoring we might all have to learn his celebration dance. It had been hard going but a 1-0 win would do, but there´s always a but, deep into injury time a bread and butter shot from Santamaria should have been easily dealt with by Dani Hernandez but he fumbled the ball and gave Cadiz a share of the spoils.