The first objective is accomplished. FC Cartagena secured all three points in their match against AD Alcorcón, keeping their hopes alive for a spot in the promotion playoffs. Now, all attention turns to Sunday’s clash between CE Europa and Villarreal B, who sit fourth and fifth respectively. The albinegro side currently share the same points total as the Catalan team, trailing two points behind the reserve side. However, Cartagena holds a losing head-to-head record against both.
The victory achieved by Iñigo Vélez’s squad carries significant weight—not only due to the stakes but also because of how it was earned. The coach was without key players like Rubén Serrano, Jean Jules, and Yanis Rahmani. The first two have been absent since the Torremolinos trip, while the winger was sidelined due to a red card in Algeciras, alongside Fidalgo and Ander Martín.
It was a B-side lineup, with veteran Nacho deployed as a winger and occasionally as an attacking midfielder. Adding to the challenge, Chiki was forced off with an injury in the 35th minute, replaced by Ortuño, who had seen minimal playing time recently.
AD Alcorcón put FC Cartagena under serious pressure in the second half, but they also caused trouble early on. In the 19th minute, Jordi Pola headed a corner kick, and Lucho saved it in two attempts. Rai Marchan nearly reached the ball before the Colombian goalkeeper. The keeper had to stretch fully shortly after to stop a shot from Mariano that was heading toward the post.
In this match, the port city team displayed a quality they often lack: efficiency. On their first serious attack, they scored. Chiki recovered the ball, which reached Nacho, who transformed into a playmaker to slip a pass inside to Kevin. Kevin found himself one-on-one with Ayesa, but a defender arrived from behind, and the ball fell to Luismi, who slotted home from an angle to make it 1-0.
However, there was little time to celebrate. The visitors responded immediately. Aparicio set up Luis Vacas—the standout player for the yellow side—who drove into the box and laid it on a plate for Yael to equalize.
Little happened in the match after that, aside from Chiki’s unfortunate injury, which raises questions about how many games he will miss. Ortuño came on and tried, but he is not the player he once was. Just when it seemed the teams would go into halftime level, fortune smiled on the hosts. Nil fought hard for a ball and won a corner. The corner reached the far post, where Luismi controlled it and fired a right-footed shot toward goal. Whether intentional or not, De Blasis redirected it with his chest into the net. What matters is the ball ended up in the back of the net.
FC Cartagena emerged unscathed from the second half, which was the best part. Without a clear dominant side, AD Alcorcón had three clear chances to score at least once. But it was not the alfareros’ afternoon; as has happened many times, they were denied in front of goal. That is one of the reasons they haven’t climbed higher.
The first chance was glaring. Aparicio, at the far post with everything in his favor, sent a perfect cross from the left wide. He had beaten Aridane to the ball but managed to do the impossible—shooting wide in the 48th minute. In the 76th, Vladys ran down the right flank and, once inside the box, pulled the ball back. Vacas arrived at the far post and fired his shot into the side netting. In the 90th, N’Jti touched a corner kick, and the ball fell to Larrea’s feet as it was heading toward the goal.
For the hosts, there were two attempts…
