Castilla Grind Out a Point in Avilés Battle After Zúñiga's Red Card Madness
Real Madrid Castilla survived a gruelling 107-minute war in Avilés to nick a 1-1 draw, playing over half the match with ten men after Loren Zúñiga's red card.
Real Madrid Castilla came away from Asturias with a hard-earned point after one of those proper gritty away days — the kind that feels like a win when you’re on the coach home.
Hero, Villain, Gone
Loren Zúñiga was the story of the match, and not entirely for good reasons. The striker gave Castilla the lead just before the half-hour mark, bundling in the rebound after Álvaro’s clearance fell kindly to him. Lovely finish, job done — or so it seemed.
Then, right at the start of the second half, Zúñiga went and got himself sent off with a reckless challenge on Cristian Rivera. Direct red. Off you go, son. From hero to villain in the space of forty-odd minutes — proper Jekyll and Hyde stuff.
Ten Men, Long Night
From the 56th minute onwards, López de Lerma’s side had to dig in and defend for their lives. Avilés, managed by Dani Vidal, were desperate to end a rough run of form and threw everything at the Castilla backline:
- Keeper Fran González was outstanding, making several key saves to keep the visitors ahead
- Grigore headed narrowly wide with about 13 minutes left — Fran was there to cover anyway
- Yáñez and Pol Fortuny offered the odd dangerous counter-attack to relieve pressure
The hosts, driven by the talented Isi Ros in midfield, had actually been the better side for large chunks of the first half too — Santamaría (on from the 10th minute as a sub) spurned a couple of decent chances.
Late Drama and a Long, Long Night
Castilla couldn’t hold on. With five minutes of normal time remaining, Quicala poked home in a scramble inside the box to make it 1-1 — and honestly, you couldn’t argue with it on the balance of play.
Then came the added time. Loads of it. The game ran all the way to the 107th minute, with Fran denying Santamaría late on to preserve the draw. Isi Ros, who’d been Avilés’s best player all night, got himself sent off near the very end for a second yellow — so both sides finished the match a man short. Fitting, really.
Takeaways
- A point away from home in Primera RFEF, with ten men for over fifty minutes, is a decent result all things considered
- Fran González deserves massive credit — he was the difference between one point and none
- Zúñiga needs to be smarter; you cannot afford to gift the opposition that kind of advantage
- Castilla showed real character and togetherness under serious pressure — that’ll please López de Lerma
It wasn’t pretty, it went on forever, and it aged everyone involved about ten years. But Castilla are still standing.
Source: MARCA – El Castilla resiste en la interminable ‘batalla’ de Avilés