Final thrills in a thrilling match (3-2)

C.D. Leganés defeated Granada C.F. at Ontime Butarque Stadium (3-2) in a match corresponding to Matchday 6 of LALIGA HYPERMOTION. Naim and Soko put Lega ahead in the opening minutes; Granada tied the score early in the second half; and Gharbi, in the 89th minute, secured the victory for the blue-and-whites.

Leganés fielded the same starting lineup as last matchday in Tenerife, with the sole change being Soko starting up front in place of Morata, who had been suffering from stomach issues during the week and began this match on the bench. This time, the wingbacks started on their natural sides, with Sancris on the right and Naim on the left.

Leganés got off to a tremendous start, taking a 2-0 lead in the 8th minute with goals from Naim and Soko

Lega got off to a strong start, and in the 3rd minute had their first chance through Zico, who received a pass from Gharbi and fired with his left foot, but Lizoain deflected it down for a corner. On the resulting corner kick, Gharbi sent the ball outside the box, and Naim controlled it before unleashing a thunderous left-footed shot that found the back of the Kechta net, scoring the first goal of the match—his second of the season.

But Rubén Albés’s team’s great start didn’t end there: in the 7th minute, Kechta cut into the box, pulled off a tremendous dribble past his marker, and laid the ball back for Gharbi; Lizoain parried his shot, and Soko was there to tap in the 2-0 lead and score his first goal in a Blue-and-White jersey.

Granada cut into the lead with an unfortunate own goal by Ignasi Miquel

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing: in the 15th minute, Luca parried a powerful shot from former Pepinero Arnaiz, but the rebound unfortunately struck Ignasi Miquel and found its way into the Pepineros’ net, making the score 2-1. Luca made a huge save in the 22nd minute on a shot by Marqués just as everyone was expecting the score to be 2-2, and later the woodwork denied Granada a goal on a thunderous shot by Emeka.

Leganés responded with a good attack involving Gharbi and Kechta in the 25th minute, which the Franco-Moroccan finished with a left-footed shot that Lizoain saved low. In the 34th minute, it was Sancris who tried his luck with a low left-footed shot that the visiting goalkeeper tipped away for a corner. And once again, in the 38th minute, Zico found himself one-on-one with Lizoain after a fine pass from Sancris. Just before halftime, Lizoain saved a powerful strike from Soko that grazed the post. Leganés went into halftime with a 2-1 lead.

Marqués equalized for the Andalusians at the start of the second half

With no changes for Leganés after the break, Granada tied the game in the 51st minute thanks to Marqués, who headed in a cross at the far post to make it 2-2. Lega came close to responding in the 53rd minute with a shot by Gharbi that Lizoain cleared at the last second with his foot, and Kechta also had a chance in the 57th minute, shortly before Rubén Albés made a four-player substitution, bringing on Pulido, Montero, Dani Rodríguez, and Morata in place of Ignasi Miquel, Lalo, Sancris, and Soko.

Morata himself had a chance shortly after coming on in the 64th minute, following a great pass from Gharbi that he narrowly failed to convert. Granada responded with a dangerous shot by Alemañ that crashed off the crossbar, in an open match with opportunities for both teams. Atienza grazed the post with another long-range strike, and Luca stepped up again to block another point-blank shot from the Granada players.

Gharbi, in the 89th minute, secured the victory for Lega

Sule came on in the 80th minute for Zico in Rubén Albés’s final substitution in search of the win. The referee disallowed a Granada goal in the 82nd minute due to a foul on Atienza as he jumped, and in the 89th minute, ecstasy swept through the 11,100 spectators filling the Ontime Butarque: Sule played the ball to Gharbi on the edge of the box, and the French-Tunisian player fired a low shot that Lizoain had no chance of saving, securing the victory for Lega with the blue-and-white No. 17’s second goal of the season, capping off his extraordinary performance.

This marks Leganés’ second home victory in their two home matches, and the “Pepineros” now sit with eleven points in the standings at the end of Matchday 6. The Blue-and-Whites will play at home again next matchday, on Monday the 28th (8:30 p.m.) against C.D. Castellón.