El Toralín hosted the fourth and final preseason encounter for Ziganda's side this evening. It was Real Oviedo's second away friendly of the summer, having previously played at Balaidos (Vigo). This time out the Asturians were up against SD Ponferradina, with goalkeeper Brazâo making his debut from the outset.
Joining the Brazilian goalkeeper in the Real Oviedo starting eleven were Johannesson, Ugarte, Christian Fernández, Lucas, Edu Cortina, Jimmy, Riki, Ton Ripoll, Cedric and Mujica. The Asturians took to the field in their 'salamandra' yellow kit, and in the early stages showed the same style of play and personality as in the previous preseason matches. They continued to press well, work hard, not come under too much pressure in defence, and play directly, albeit without being able to convert from their attacks. Ponferradina dominated the final stages of the first half, but Real Oviedo's defensive solidity allowed the team to go in for halftime with the score still goalless.
Rodri came on to freshen up the attack for the start of the second half, which saw Ziganda's side's quick attacks become more threatening. The goal came from some fine individual play by Riki, who carried the ball forward well before firing home a great strike, across the keeper, from outside thebox. Javi Cueto and Vanderson came on from the bench for the final half-hour, with Edgar and Jorge Mier entering the fray a few minutes later. Ponferradina were awarded a penalty for a shirt-pull inside the box, but Yuri fired the spot kick against the bar. Real Oviedo had a few more attacks but could not extend the lead, in what was the final test of preseason.
This victory saw the preparation period come to an end for José Ángel Ziganda's side, who will now rest until returning to training on Tuesday afternoon. On Tuesday the team will begin to prepare for the first competitive match of the season, against Cartagena EFS. The match will form part of Matchday 1 in LaLiga Smartbank and will kick off at 12:00 on Sunday at the NMR Carlos Tartiere.
