The Madrid team qualifies for the quarter-finals despite being inferior to Almería.
CD Leganés secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey with a 3-2 away victory against Almería, demonstrating their effectiveness in crucial moments, although they suffered while the hosts dominated the major part of the match.
After more than half an hour of Andalusian control, Leganés took the lead in the 33rd minute thanks to a superb goal from Altimira. However, Almería continued to apply pressure and equalized through Luis Suárez just five minutes later.
The second half was dominated by UD Almería, who created several scoring chances. In the 51st minute they took the lead with a goal from Lázaro Vinicius. Despite limited possession, Leganés managed the latter stages well, especially after Miguel converted a penalty in the 75th minute.
Almería pushed forward, neglecting its defense, and Borja Jiménez’s team scored the decisive goal at 3-2 following a brilliant action from Juan Cruz, concluded by Diego García.
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The match started with Almería controlling the ball. Arnau Puigmal even scored for Almería, but it was ruled out for offside by the VAR. Little by little, Leganés began to assert themselves, looking to exploit spaces after regaining possession. Almería had chances, notably with Lázaro in the 8th minute, but Juan Soriano stopped him, leading to a phase of control for Leganés, who created chances thanks to Brasanac and Cissé. It was Altimira who scored after taking advantage of a rebound on Brasanac’s shot.
This goal did not destabilize Almería, who continued their game plan, and they almost equalized in the 38th minute thanks to a good action between Luis Suárez and Arribas, the latter having deflected the ball so that the Colombian could equalize. In the 40th minute they came close to taking the lead, but Tapia’s challenge kept the score intact.
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The second half started differently. Leganés struggled to find space, while Almería flourished, playing fluid, attacking football against a Leganés side who could only harass the ball. In the 51st minute, a well-measured pass from Gonzalo Melero found Pubill, who, with the help of Puigmal, sent it to the near post where Lázaro finished with a backheel to beat Soriano.
Almería pressed hard to make the match more comfortable, looking for a goal. Leganés started to find the ball more but struggled with the final pass until the 75th minute. A deep pass into the box saw Raba collide with Pubill, who attempted to clear the danger, prompting a penalty which Miguel converted, leveling the match in what was seen as a provocation for the home crowd.
The hosts appeared reluctant to head into extra time, making attacking substitutions. Luis Suárez, after another pass from Pubill, assisted Melamed for what would have been a goal, but it was ruled offside.
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After another attempt from Luis Suárez, the counter-attack sealed Almería’s fate, as Juan Cruz delivered a perfect cross for Diego García to score in the 86th minute, sending Leganés through to the quarter-finals, leaving UD Almería to leave the head held high.
