CD Castellón and Real Oviedo came face-to-face this afternoon at Catalia, with the Asturians falling to defeat.
Real Oviedo went into Matchday 33 in LaLiga Smartbank aware of the importance of being switched on right from the kick-off, following their experiences in the previous two matches. Ziganda opted for a starting eleven made up of Femenías; Juanjo Nieto, Arribas, Bolaño, Mossa; Sangalli, Edgar, Tejera, Borja Sánchez; Nahuel and Blanco Leschuk. The Asturians dominated the first forty-five minutes, but were not on their game after the interval.
The first half saw a lively Real Oviedo performance in attack, as the team from the capital of Asturias dominated possession while remaining solid in defence and dealing with the hosts' threat. Castellón were pinned back in their own half for the majority of the first half. Ziganda's side had three clear chances in attack, meanwhile. First came a fine volley from Juanjo Nieto from Nahuel's set piece, which went just wide. Next, Blanco Leschuk cut inside a defender inside the area before having his shot blocked. Finally, the Argentine forward was denied once more by the home defence. The hosts then took a step forwards and the game became cagey, with a lot of fouls and very little football. Ziganda's side found it harder to get through, but still had the better of the chances.
Things changed in the second half, particularly after an unfortunate collision between Edgar and Señé, which saw the game come to a standstill for several minutes as both players received treatment and broke up the rhythm of the match. Castellón then scored from a set piece. Real Oviedo began to control the ball once more, looking to the wings to create danger and find an equaliser. Rodri hit the back of the net, but it was ruled out for offside.
Real Oviedo started the stronger side, dominated the match, and had the clearest chances today at Castalia, but Castellón scored the only goal of the game.
