Lolo Escobar charted a roadmap when it came to the club, and it’s not surprising with their roster. Against Islas Pitius, Ibiza chose Dani Marín and Jean Paul, two youngsters who once again gave him results, and Michel Herrero was replaced by Manu Navarro. He didn’t lie when he said age didn’t matter to him to turn eleven. The other novelty was seeing Ander Vitoria on the bench alongside newcomer Artiles, with Cedrés joining the starting line-up. Everything from the need to add wins at Rico Pérez to face an opponent in the relegation zone and rejoin the promotion challenge.
The meeting started with a nice atmosphere and rhythm. They surprised their opponent with an aggressive game, looking for pressure all over the field. The natives prevailed but could not find a way to defeat the opponent. The game was fast but playing too far from the field. With one insignificant movement in the middle of the field, everything blew up. Jean Paul took a hard tackle and made a move to dodge the foul, which the referee interpreted as aggression that kicked the Frenchman out of the game. Hercules was once again behind Rico Pérez in the first half. It was time to play with ten and seventy minutes.
Despite the numerical superiority, the Ibiza IP did not change its initial plan. Football was equalized with the expulsion from the game that looked excessively at the referee. Red capped the show and turned the game into a hard bet with little risk. Raúl Ruiz broke the challenge with a high shot, but his goal-scoring moves were a treasure in a game of tension rather than quality. Minutes were spent in matches at Rico Pérez in everything but the number of players on each team.
Alvarito left the best offensive actions for the locals, who were very active in his improv position as a center forward. Lolo Escobar, who did not make any changes despite being sent off until the sixtieth minute, made it clear that he did not trust the second line while waiting for the transfers he wanted. Maxi and Eimil came to give oxygen to the team, which received heavy penalties for playing minutes behind. In the last quarter of an hour, José Artiles replaced Sandro Toscano. Very loud, Alvarito had the best chance, but Conteras avoided a goal with his foot and Marc Mas scored for his opponent on the next move. He went from everything to nothing in one breath. But the Lolo Escobar effect has its magic. Roger Riera equalized from strategy and enthusiasm came from Iker with an own goal at the last minute. It’s like the epic victory and comeback from the vile in Sagunto. Hercules adds, grows and continues to evolve.