At Hercules Lleida, he started the game with the pressure to learn the rest of the results and the feeling of facing an unclear bet that only victory was worth it, not to give up on the promotion fight. And to achieve this, Lolo Escobar chose a team without a centre-back. Jean Paul and Salah remained on the bench, while Ander was out of the squad. Luque was the big innovation at eleven that was surprising on offense and ensured continuity in defence. At Lleida, play was seen as the key to moving from the relegation zone to Third.

It started with a little rhythm, with more caution and concern than offensive audacity. Hercules wanted possession and play, but lacked fluency and, above all, speed. With Alvarito for reference and Luque on the wing, the team lacked punch. The locals, who are very slow in circulation and erratic in long transits, were also not worried. The minutes were thus swallowed, between the yawning of the meager audience and the absence of options to change the initial bond.

The lethargy was broken with a strategic move, Luque crossed and Riera was the smartest in his class at anticipating the defense and beating the goalkeeper. The goal came to give the Alicante people oxygen and again came from a defender who was prone to forward. With the score in favor, a certain balance was achieved with regular defense and possession phases. Carlos Abad appeared to avoid a draw, as the goalkeeper blocked Quadri’s free shot beforehand. Yet creating the danger in the attack cost the natives a world.

Gradually, with the changes, Lleida became active on the offense and Hercules struggled with possession, giving the opponent offensive options. The stick prevented the draw and alarmed Lolo Escobar’s team. However, the coach continues to slow down the changes even though his team is having trouble with the game. The first was César Moreno for Maxi in a natural exchange. The match was controlled, but there was a tight risk of scoring. Once again, the ability to punish the counterattack and avoid intimidations was lacking in the last minutes. To further complicate the scenario, Riera was ejected with a harsh second yellow card.

Monterde also saw the second warning and equalized forces in three minutes. 10 versus 10 conflicts were decided. With so much suffering and an endless eight-minute discount. Carlos Abad reassured and avoided another tragedy at the discount. Three vital points for Hercules worth staying in the Play Off promotion challenge with five games to play.