Pulpo a feira

24 Feb 2007 -- Deportivo continued with its ascent during the year 2007 thanks to a goal scored by Arizmendi. Once again the defensive line showed a solid performance and achieved the fourth consecutive clean sheet in la liga, extending the unbeaten record of Aouate to 371 minutes without allowing a goal. It's also the second consecutive win of Depor playing outside of Riazor.

BEFORE THE GAME
Coaches Lotina and Caparrós didn't surprise anybody with their decisions since they sent the expected lineups for this game. The main novelties in Deportivo were presence of Coloccini at the right back, the return of Sergio to the starting eleven and the comeback of Taborda to the striking line.

In Real Sociedad, all eyes were on the couple Herrera-Kovacevic, Lotina's bet in order to find the so desired goals. Anoeta saw the best attendance of the season. A lot was said in order to motivate the fans of the Basque club, and the public responded with their support.

FIRST HALF
The enthusiasm of the public at the stadium didn't reach the players, the first twenty minutes were really cold and both teams failed to dominate the actions. During these minutes, the only sensation of danger was generated in a corner-kick taken by Estoyanoff at the right side and that Taborda headed out by inches.

Both teams were stuck in midfield. Neither Kovacevic nor Savio were appearing in the game. The first chance for the home side arrived at minute 27; a shot from Mikel Aranburu that went out. And three minutes later Depor surprised everyone at Anoeta. It was in a set-pieces action after Sergio took a free-kick in midfield. The Catalan sent the ball to the box and Taborda was there to head it sideways where Javier Arizmendi just had to push it into the net.

The goal revitalised the game since Real Sociedad started to push for the equaliser. The Argentinean striker Germán Herrera enjoyed a couple of chances, but he missed both opportunities. The most clear one was a cross of Kovacevic that Herrera incredibly headed out. Deportivo started to suffer, mainly in the side that was defended by Coloccini. Meanwhile, De Guzmán was having a lot of troubles in order to contain the game of the home team, the Canadian even saw a yellow card for a tough challenge on Savio.

But Depor had a chance to increase the lead, it was in a cross from Arizmendi that Taborda headed over the crossbar. The Galicians knew that a counterattack would be deadly for the home side and they were just defending the result and waiting for that chance . Half-time arrived with a sensation of relief for the Galicians. They played a really poor game during the first half, but the goal was giving them confidence in order to face the second half. After all, Real Sociedad came to this game with only one goal scored in its previous five liga games.

SECOND HALF
Caparrós didn't like what he saw during the first half, and he decided to make a modification: Joan Verdú for De Guzmán. This change was planned in order to give more control over the ball to Deportivo. But the script of the second part was the same one seen during the first minutes of the first half: A big fight in midfield and no problems for the keepers.

Real Sociedad managed the game during the second part, but the Basques were unable to create a decent chance during the first 30 minutes. Meanwhile Depor was just spending the time and waiting for the final of the game. Caparrós started to close the lock when he replaced Cristian and Taborda for Filipe and Juan Rodríguez.

The chances to score for the home side hadn't arrived until the last ten minutes of the match. Aramburu failed to score when he sent a weak shot that Aoaute contained without problems, while a free-kick of Savio ended out just by inches. But Depor also had a chance in order to finish the game. It was a long ball chased by Estoyanoff and that keeper Bravo cleared before the arrival of the Uruguayan winger.

AFTER THE GAME
It was a boring game, Real Sociedad enjoyed the better occasions to score, but they failed all of their chances. On the other hand, Depor capitalised one of its few opportunities and gave a lethal punch to the aspirations of salvation by the Basque squad. Depor accumulates 33 points and starts to see the competition with more optimism. Meanwhile, Real Sociedad starts to realise that its destiny is in Segunda, the enthusiasm of the fans before the game was translated into frustration, whistles and white handkerchiefs after the game.

Maybe the best news of the night is that the defensive line maintained the solidity shown since the new year started. It's the fourth consecutive clean sheet for the Galicians, and Aouate has now a mark of 371 minutes without allowing a goal. The Israeli keeper is presenting the best European record during 2007: only two goals received after eight matches. It's also the second consecutive win for Depor playing outside Riazor. Now Depor starts to plan the visit to Valladoid in order to face the second-leg for the copa del rey quarterfinals, a series they lead with a 4-1 advantage.

MATCH STATISTICS
Real Sociedad: Bravo - Gerardo (Novo 80'), Mikel González, Víctor López, López Rekarte - Aranburu, Garitano (Mikel Alonso 75'), Savio, Xabi Prieto - Herrera (Diaz de Cerio 75'), Kovacevic.
Deportivo: Aouate - Coloccini, Andrade, Lopo, Capdevila - Estoyanoff - De Guzman (Verdú 46'), Sergio, Cristian (Filipe 78') - Taborda (Juan Rodríguez 65'), Arizmendi.
Goal: 0-1: (29') Arizmendi.
Referee: Turienzo Alvarez. He showed yellow card to De Guzman (22'), Rekarte (32'), Sergio (55') and Arizmendi (64').
Venue: Anoeta (24,424)
Other statistics: Ball possession (63% - 37%); Shots (16 - 6); Shots on goal (3 - 1); Corner-kicks (4 - 3); Offisdes (5 - 7); Fouls (13 - 23).