Sabadell cannot with Andorra in a match with little football

SabadellSabadell's first draw of the season playing at home, after a very tense duel with few chances against Andorra (0-0). The 'arlequinat' team tried harder than a visiting side that did not even manage to force a corner in their favor. But when Sabadell reached the edge of the rival goal, they ran out of resources, beyond some deflected long-range shots.

Already in the pre-match, both coaches had made it clear that it would be a special game, because for many years Ferran Costa and Carles Manso had worked together. Costa, in fact, had been the coach of Andorra two seasons ago, when he was hired by Gerard Piqué, who was present this Sunday at the Nova Creu Alta. The result was a very physical game, where Manso tried to deactivate the strengths of an always competitive Sabadell that played a perfect game in defense. If in the last game in Vigo a mistake had punished the Vallesans, on this occasion, everything worked in defense. Fuoli was just another spectator under the posts, in fact. The problem for the Vallesans is in attack, since without the injured Gioacchinni, they lack a reference striker.

The Nova Creu Alta ended up seeing a very physical match where it never felt like the match official had control over what was happening on the pitch. The arlequinada fans would end up whistling loudly at the Andalusian José Luis Guzmán Mansilla, one of those referees with indecipherable criteria. Beyond the uncalled fouls, he let the visitors waste time, a fact that would cause complaints from Ferran Costa in the press room.

The coach from the Vallès region made changes to the team and opted for the first time for a 4-3-3 without three central defenders. Eneko came in as a full-back, sending Miki Codina to the bench, and striker Nicolai Obolski was a starter for the first time, but the Russian failed to break down the Andorran defense. He fought hard, but only managed one shot and it wasn't dangerous. Joel Priego started very energized, but it was a match that was too physical and with long balls. The player from Manresa played in attack with a very hardworking Baena, but the Andorran defense played their best match of the season. Normally, Andorra attacks well and gives in defense. In Sabadell, they did the exact opposite, defending with character but with a null attack. The visiting striker Jordi Cano saw how Óscar Sanz won the battle against him time and time again. The former Europa player didn't have his day in a match where the Sabadell native Edgar also signed off on a great defensive performance, winning all his duels. It was a match in which the defenders ended up imposing their law, while the midfielders, too nervous, failed to bring order, with the exception of some isolated chances from the local Urri or the visitor Marc Domènech.

It was Sabadell who would always show more desire to win against the more defensive version of the Andorrans, incapable of taking a single shot on goal or winning a single corner. Sabadell would have 11 corners, but failed to beat goalkeeper Owono, who started ahead of the injured Pau López. In the last minute, Miki Codina would still try with a shot when Sabadell was attacking with all the heart in the world, but they lacked a striker to make a difference inside the box. Yannis Rahmani and Alain Ribeiro, who came on in the second half, would not do anything out of the ordinary either.

The match was initially scheduled for this Saturday at 6:30 PM, but the alarm due to the severe storm postponed the game until this Sunday. The Andorran team had to spend the night in Sabadell while waiting for a match that allows the 'arlequinats' to continue adding points. In their year of return to the Second Division, they have lost just one match and it was against a rival of Mallorca's level. Sabadell will play their next match on Saturday at Ceuta's ground, the most complicated trip of the season for logistical reasons. Ferran Costa's team will fly this Thursday to Jerez, a city where they will spend the night and train. On Friday, the 'arlequinat' team will have a second training session in Algeciras, before taking the ferry to Ceuta, where they will spend the night before the match. On Saturday, after playing, they will return to Algeciras and on Sunday they will have a final training session before returning from Jerez. Almost four days away from home to play a League match. The club will take the opportunity to carry out reseeding work at the Nova Creu Alta, since as seen against Andorra, the new grass, planted this summer, has not finished rooting well. The rain these past few days has not helped either.