Real Madrid Castilla came from behind in their final home game of the calendar year at the Estadio Alfredo di Stéfano, overturning a 0-1 deficit to defeat the 10 men of C.D. Guadalajara 3-1.
Having taken the lead shortly after the halfway point of the first half through Salifo Mendes, Guadalajara found themselves pegged back just before the interval courtesy of a Toño Calvo own goal, before goals from Mesonero and Loren Zúñiga secured three points for the hosts after the aforementioned Calvo had been shown a red card on the 48-minute mark.
Victory for Castilla marks their 6th straight win at the Di Stefano, with Arbeloa’s side not having failed to win a match at home since the end of September.
Weakened by the absence of four crucial players: defenders Joan Martínez and Victor Valdepeñas, as well as midfielders Jorge Cestero and Thiago Pitarch, all of whom had been called up by Xabi Alonso to be part of the first-team squad for their fixture against Alaves, it might have been expected that the hosts would emerge from the blocks sluggishly. However, they started strongly and had a penalty appeal denied within the opening quarter of an hour as referee Olatz Rivera, in consultation with VAR, did not deem the contact on Daniel Yáñez by Julio Martínez sufficient enough to award a spot kick.
Having kept Guadalajara’s attacking threats relatively quiet during the opening stages, Castilla found themselves caught cold at the back five minutes before the half-hour mark and were ruthlessly punished, as Mendes diverted a square ball from Calvo past Fran González from close range for his fourth goal of the season. The Guinean, on loan from C.D. Tenerife B, could have doubled his team’s lead shortly afterwards with an effort from the edge of the box, but González reacted well to make a smart save low down to his right.
César Palacios went close to levelling the scoring, sending his effort narrowly over Amador Zarco’s bar, and it seemed as though a defensively solid first-half performance by Pere Martí’s men would be rewarded with an advantage at the break. However, with virtually the last kick of the half, Castilla were gifted a leveller when Calvo diverted into his own net while attempting to block a David Jiménez shot.
Only three minutes into the second half, an already difficult task for Guadalajara was made nearly impossible as Calvo’s afternoon went from bad to worse when he was shown a second yellow card by Rivera for a foul on Palacios. From there, things rapidly began to unravel for the visitors and they found themselves 3-1 down within the next quarter of an hour. Firstly, only a minute after being reduced to 10 men, Guadalajara found themselves behind through a brilliant drilled strike from outside the box by Dani Mesonero, before a calamitous defensive miscommunication between Zarco and Javier Ablanque allowed Zúñiga to tap into an empty net in the 62nd minute.
Castilla had opportunities to extend their lead during the final half-hour, and thought they had won a penalty shortly before second half stoppage time, only for Rivera to head over to the monitor and reverse her initial decision after viewing replays of Daniel Gallardo’s challenge on Manuel Ángel. Had it not been for Zarco, Castilla would have added to their tally deep into second-half stoppage time, but the Guadalajara keeper remained alert to parry away a powerful effort from Gabriel Castrelo in the final minutes.
Although Castilla conclude Gameweek 16 in the same 4th position in the Primera Federación league standings as they started it, their victory means that they remain on the shoulder of the sides above them, and they will travel to face RC Celta Fortuna in their next game on 20th December with an opportunity to leapfrog the team that are currently occupying 3rd place. Arbeloa’s men have also established a 4-point buffer between themselves and the team directly below them in the table, Pontevedra CF, who currently occupy the final playoff spot. Meanwhile, defeat at the di Stéfano keeps Martí’s side in the relegation zone and one point adrift of safety as they look to prepare for an incredibly tough Tuesday night clash at home to FC Barcelona in the Round of 32 of the Copa del Rey.
Referee: Olatz Rivera Olmedo
Real Madrid Castilla Lineup: Fran González; David Jiménez (subbed for Fortea, 70’), Mario Rivas (subbed for Lezcano, 46’), Lamini, Diego Aguado; Mesonero (subbed for Diego, 63’), Manuel Ángel, Cristian David; Yáñez, Loren Zúñiga (subbed for Castrelo, 77’), Palacios (subbed for Pol Fortuny, 63’) C.D. Guadalajara Lineup: Zarco; Gallardo, Ablanque, Víctor, Julio Martínez; U. Eulate (subbed for Pablo Rojo, 53’), Raúl Tavares (subbed for Agus Moreno, 77’), Álex Neskes (subbed for Cañizo, 69’), Toño Calvo, Pablo Muñoz (subbed for Samu Mayo, 69’); Salifo (subbed for Borja Díaz, 77’)