Juventud took all three points from Albion at Estadio Luis Francini, winning 3-1 in the Clausura - 7 round of the First Division - Apertura. The visitors had already sensed blood by the sixth minute, when F. Mimbacas struck twice in quick succession to put them ahead and keep the hosts pinned back. To be fair, Albion controlled the ball and the tempo, but that possession meant little when the scoreline told a different story.
Mimbacas opened the scoring in the third minute and added a second six minutes later, giving Juventud the kind of cushion that lets them breathe. Albion pushed forward after the break, introducing A. Vera in the 46th minute, but the visitors held firm until their own offensive spark arrived. A. Lopez equalised for the visitors in the 56th minute, and by then the match had shifted on its axis.
Juventud closed the game out when B. Larregui scored in the 78th minute, turning a comfortable lead into a statement. Albion had the game won inside twenty minutes on paper, with 62% possession and 95 attacks compared to 82 for the visitors, but they handed the ball away and hit them on the break at the wrong moments. The statistics show dominance without penetration; many chances went begging.
Albion picked up two bookings in five minutes around the hour mark, first R. Peralta then S. Sosa, while I. Zufiaurre also went into the ref's book for Juventud. Mimbacas was substituted in the 77th minute after his double, and the rest of the game saw both sides reshuffle without much urgency. The yellow cards added up to three, a reminder that tempo slows when the result is no longer in doubt.
We had backed Albion to win with 38% confidence, but the match went the other way. The visitors ended a run of mixed results and moved clear of the bottom half, while Albion dropped further into the middle pack. Nine points separate the two sides at the bottom of the table, and this result made that gap feel wider.
