CD Tenerife is on a roll in this Primera RFEF. The white-and-blues have recorded only victories and clean sheets in their matches so far. Pontevedra CF could not compete with a team that is remarkably solid, efficient, and effective, finding no rival at the Nuevo Pasarón.
De Miguel, a consistent scorer for Tenerife, along with Landázuri, contributed the goals for a team that remains the unbeaten leader of Group 1.
Álvaro Cervera repeated the same starting eleven that achieved excellent results in the previous two matches. However, Pontevedra adopted a 4-1-4-1 formation that greatly hindered the white-and-blues’ attacking play.
The Galician side allowed their opponents to have possession while effectively shutting down all possible avenues for Tenerife’s attack. Nacho Gil, Alassan, De Miguel, and Enric did not get involved in the game until after the 20-minute mark.
Until that moment, Pontevedra felt comfortable in the match and even had a clear opportunity to score. A defensive error from the visitors allowed former Tenerife player Selma to find himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Dani. He feinted past the Tenerife keeper and aimed for the empty net, but David Rodríguez came to the rescue, clearing the ball off the line in the 12th minute to deny a 1-0 lead.
This golden opportunity for Pontevedra sparked Cervera’s side into action, who managed to take the lead soon after. Just past the half-hour mark, Juanjo regained possession in midfield and crossed to his captain, who sent the ball to the far post from the edge of the area. Alassan appeared unexpectedly to deliver the ball to the centre of Pontevedra’s area. De Miguel, positioning himself perfectly, seized the opportunity presented by the academy graduate. Jesús struck mercilessly to put his team ahead in Pasarón.
Pontevedra did not react to Tenerife’s goal, allowing the visitors to comfortably dominate the remainder of the first half.
Another Walk in the Park
The second half began with Tenerife appearing a bit rushed, which seemed illogical considering that Pontevedra should have been the more desperate side.
The visitors settled down, and the match entered a phase of lethargy that only changed when the local manager decided to switch to a three-man defence with two wing-backs. This move disrupted the midfield and bolstered the attack. Pontevedra reacted timidly to these changes, but still failed to create any real danger against Dani’s goal.
Cervera responded in the 67th minute by injecting more pace into his team. Enric and Alassan were substituted for César, who positioned himself on the right wing, and Noel, who joined De Miguel up front.
Noel made an immediate impact, having the first chance just after coming on. After a cross from Zoilo in the 70th minute, the former Real Madrid Castilla player failed to connect properly with a header, sending the ball well off target.
Six minutes later, Tenerife delivered the final blow to the match. A corner for the visitors was flicked on at the near post by De Miguel, allowing Landázuri, who had evaded the marking of Luisao, to comfortably beat the Pontevedra goalkeeper. With the score at 0-2, the match was clearly in Tenerife’s favour.
Pontevedra attempted to score a consolation goal in a fit of desperation. In the final minutes of the match, Compa had a good header, and just as the crowd anticipated a goal, Dani Martín made a fantastic save to deny the Galicians, aided by the crossbar.
