Murcia survive early scare to run riot against Orihuela
Real Murcia defeated Orihuela 4-1 in the Federation Cup Round of 16 on Wednesday evening. The visitors survived an early scare and eventually ran riot in extra time. And here's the thing, the game did not look like it would go that way once the hosts took the lead.
Orihuela struck first through A. Espinola in the sixteenth minute. The home side looked comfortable controlling the tempo for a spell. To be fair, they weathered the initial pressure from the visitors. But the momentum shifted when Murcia started probing higher up the pitch.
A. Meca missed a crucial penalty in the sixty-seventh minute, keeping the score at 1-0. By then, the hosts had dropped deep and were looking to defend the lead. The miss changed the rhythm of the second half entirely. Murcia had to find another way to break them down.
The deadlock broke in extra time when A. Gimenez found his way on target in the eighty-eighth minute. He doubled his tally just before the hour mark of extra time, sending the visitors into a 2-1 lead. And here's the thing, Orihuela simply fell apart after the opener. Gimenez completed his hat-trick in the one-hundred-and-ninth minute before J. Jorquera Romero added a fourth in the one-hundred-and-nineteenth minute.
The numbers tell a story of dominance despite the late collapse. Murcia recorded 110 attacks compared to 80 for the hosts, while holding 58 per cent possession. The visitors had thirteen corners to just three, showing they controlled the wide areas. Orihuela managed only two shots on target, whereas Murcia relied on a single shot on target to score four goals.
The result moves Murcia into the quarter-finals with a strong away performance. Orihuela will need to reflect on how quickly they surrendered their advantage. The goal difference now sits at three for the visitors. It is a harsh exit for the home side after their win over San Fernando last week.