Real Madrid Castilla beat C.F. Talavera this Sunday at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano. In a match with few chances, Joan Martínez headed the ball past the goalkeeper in the 82nd minute. Real Madrid’s youth team now find themselves in third place in the league, while C.F. Talavera sit in eleventh.
Real Madrid Castilla won their last four matches in the Primera División RFEF and started today’s match in fifth place in the league table. Álvaro Arbeloa’s team played away at Southampton during the week in the Premier League International Cup, resulting in a 1–1 draw. C.F. Talavera began their Copa del Rey campaign during the week with an away match against Rayo Majadahonda. At Cerro del Espino, coach Diego Nogales’ team won 4–1. It was their second consecutive victory after beating Osasuna 2–0 at home over the weekend.
Real Madrid Castilla used their home advantage and started the match with lots of possession. After a few free kicks around the box, the first chance came after fourteen minutes. Daniel Yáñez came free just outside the penalty box, but his shot was easily saved by goalkeeper Jaime González. A few minutes later, attacking midfielder César Palacios hit the ball just over the crossbar from a few meters out after a corner kick.
Di Renzo took the first attempt for the away team. The striker, who also received an early yellow card, tried his luck inside the penalty area, but his shot didn’t cause any problems for Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Fran. Shortly after, Marcos Moreno came free inside the penalty area. The Spaniard couldn’t put the ball past Fran in an almost one-on-one situation.
After a goalless first half, the referee was sent to the VAR screen just two minutes into the second half. The Talavera fans wanted a red card for a Real Madrid Castilla player, but after a long VAR check, the referee decided that a red would be too harsh.
Real Madrid Castilla tried to take more initiative in the second half. Manuel Ángel tried a shot from distance, which was saved by the goalkeeper. Afterwards, David Jiménez came free on the right side. Instead of passing the ball to the unmarked Loren Zúñiga, the right-back tried a shot into the near corner. Jaime González reacted quickly and saved the ball.
Fifteen minutes before full time, the home team got another big chance. This time it was Manuel Ángel who got on the end of a low cross, but he couldn’t place his shot completely into the corner. Real Madrid Castilla appealed for a penalty minutes later, when Álvaro Arbeloa showed the blue card to referee José Alberto Pardeiro Puente, but he decided that the foul was committed just outside the penalty box. The following free kick almost resulted in an own goal when a deflected shot went just wide of the post.
The Madridistas could finally celebrate in the 82nd minute, when Real Madrid Castilla made their mark on the scoreboard. Joan Martínez headed the ball past Jaime González and finally put the home team in front: 1–0. It was the first goal of the season for the 18-year-old centre-back.
Talavera tried their best in the final minutes to find an equaliser, but it was Real Madrid Castilla who still got the biggest chance. Substitute Bruno had an open shot from around sixteen metres after a counter-attack, but his effort went wide. Talavera couldn’t create any big chances and had to leave the pitch without any points: 1–0. The team is now eleventh in the league, while Real Madrid Castilla climb to third place, just four points behind leaders Tenerife.
Leave a Reply