Almería beat Eldose 3:0 in the first round of the Segunda División at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos on Monday evening. The hosts took the lead through Federico Bonini in the fifteenth minute before adding two more before half-time. Stefan Dzodic and Nicolás Melamed struck just before the break to put any doubt to rest. By then the visitors had already seen their day slip away.
Yellow cards began to accumulate after the opening goal. Daniel Ruiz received the first booking of the match at eleven minutes, followed by Jesús Clemente and Goran Dzodic. Gonzalo Macho was cautioned just before half-time as tensions rose. The referee kept a steady hand throughout a game that rarely got out of control.
Almería controlled the tempo with 57 per cent possession and 227 passes into the opposition half. They created four big chances compared to Eldose's single opportunity, and their expected goals figure of 2.52 told the story of dominance. Shots on target came five to three, but the difference in quality separated the sides. Eldose managed more attacks overall but lacked penetration when it mattered.
Substitutions started coming on at the hour mark as both managers looked to change the dynamic. Miguel Bustillo and Nicolás Melamed were among the first to come off at sixty-one and sixty-six minutes respectively. Adrian Embarba and Pablo Cabanes entered the fray, while Carmona replaced Macho at seventy-six minutes. The hosts brought on Fidel for Macho at eighty-three minutes, then brought on Arribas and Chirino for Dzodic and Arribas in quick succession.
Leo Baptistao missed a penalty in the ninety-seventh minute, a final chance to add to the tally that never materialised. Almería now sit sixteenth with three points from three matches, while Eldose remain bottom in twentieth place with just one point. The home side have shown they can compete at this level, though the work is far from done. Three points in the pocket, but they will want more from the next fixture.