Leganés and Granada met at Estadio Municipal de Butearque on Sunday evening, a fixture that ended 3-2 in favour of the hosts. It was the sixth round of the Segunda División, and the result leaves Leganés seven points clear of their visitors, who now sit 14th rather than 12th after a draw would have kept them level.
And here's the thing about this match — you remember the 20th minute long after the final whistle. Ignasi Miquel's own goal at 16 minutes had given Granada hope, but Leganés responded before half-time when Patrick Soko added his second. To be fair, Granada were not without their moments, and Alejandro Mendez's 52nd-minute strike put them ahead for the first time. The home side never really panicked, though.
By then the pattern was clear enough. Granada controlled possession at 57 per cent and created more attacks — 100 to 82 — but their shots lacked conviction. They registered six shots on target against Leganés's twelve, and their expected goals figure of 2.4 went largely unfulfilled. Leganés, with 43 per cent possession and 2.02 expected goals, were ruthless when it mattered. Ismael Gharbi's 90th-minute goal changed everything, turning a nervy finish into a celebration.
The statistics tell a story of efficiency over dominance. Granada attempted 25 crosses to Leganés's 15, completed nine of them, but could not translate that territorial advantage into a second goal. Leganés made only two successful crosses but won 21 aerial duels — the same as Granada — and their goalkeeper made six saves compared to nine for the visitors. The match was decided in three or four moments, not in the passing patterns.
Leganés come off a difficult run, having lost 2-0 to Tenerife and drawn 0-0 with Las Palmas in their previous two games. This victory extends their unbeaten run to four matches and lifts them further away from the relegation zone. Granada, meanwhile, have now lost three of their last five and find themselves in a precarious position, eight points off safety with one game played fewer than half the season.
