Almería win at Montilivi to go top of the Segunda División

Almería went top of the Segunda División with a 1-0 win over Girona at Montilivi. The result gave the visitors three points and lifted them above one of their main rivals for automatic promotion. Girona, meanwhile, suffered a second consecutive defeat. In a closely contested match, Almería made its decisive opportunity count.

Before kickoff, football was not the main focus at Montilivi. Once play began, both sides tried to take the initiative with the ball, but clear chances took time to arrive. Girona sought to make home advantage count, while Almería came into the match unbeaten in its previous nine league rounds.

The hosts later pushed higher and found openings to trouble Almería. Ten minutes after Montilivi’s tribute to Jesús de Miguel, Abel Ruiz came close to opening the scoring from inside the area. Bonini turned his effort behind for a corner. Shortly before the break, Carles Pérez also tried from distance; Andrés Fernández comfortably held Girona’s first shot on target.

Almería did not need a steady stream of chances to change the game. In the 67th minute, an attempt by Luna left the ball loose in the area, and Miguel de la Fuente threw himself at it to send it past Gazzaniga. It was the only goal of the match. Girona nearly equalised in the next phase of play, but Lelo deflected Vanat’s shot at the last moment.

The goal forced Girona to abandon caution. Quique Álvarez brought on more attacking options in search of at least a point, and his side appealed for a penalty in an incident that drew a response from Montilivi. With the match’s final chance, Pyshchur headed goalwards, but Andrés Fernández again kept Almería out. The visitors then guarded their lead by closing down space and preventing Girona from building sustained attacks. The home side’s added forwards and pressure were not enough to find an answer.

De la Fuente’s finish settled a tight contest: Almería left Montilivi on top after taking its opportunity. For Girona, a second straight defeat underlined the price of failing to convert chances. The team competed and created openings but came away empty-handed, while a direct promotion rival claimed the points and the lead in the Segunda División. De la Fuente dedicated his goal to Jesús de Miguel and his family in the post-match interview.