Almeria have been held to a 1-1 draw with Racing de Santander in the Copa del Rey this evening.
Miguel Angel Corona fired the La Liga side in front on 26 minutes when he feinted to shoot before eventually letting fly with a low strike into the bottom corner.
However, the home side had their equaliser when David Concha made the most of some slack defending to escape down the right before flicking it over the advancing Oscar Ustari in the Almeria goal in the second half.
See how the action unfolded below.
Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's coverage of Racing Santander's clash with Almeria in the Copa del Rey quarter-final.
The team news is just reaching us here, we'll have it to you momentarily...
Almeria: Ustari; Mane, Hans Martinez, Silva, Marin; Tebar, Corona, Raul Garcia, Jonathan, Suso; Hicham
Racing: Sotres; Orfila, Oriol, Barrio, Saul; Andre, Ayina, Granero, Mariano; R. Duran, Ander
One would expect Almeria to progress over the two legs against the Segunda Division B side. I would suggest that the La Liga outift have will have too much quality for their opponents, but away from home, you can never be certain, so it should be an interesting one this.
Almeria subs: Esteban, Trujillo, Aleix, Oscar Diaz, Ramon Azzez
Racing subs: Javi Soria, Sergio Perez, Inaki, Concha, Kone
Almeria come into tonight's game on the back of two straight victories, and they restarted their camapaign after the winter break with a 3-0 win at home to Granada on Saturday.
Meanwhile Racing are also in a similar vein of form and they are currently top of the third tier in Spanish football.
UPDATE: Elsewhere in the Copa del Rey this evening, Alcorcon have beaten Espanyol 1-0, while Real Betis have edged out Athletic Bilbao with by the same scoreline. This is of course, only the first leg the ties this evening though.
Barcelona play Getafe at 9pm this evening, while Valencia left it late to equalise against Atletico Madrid at Mestalla on Tuesday evening.
All things considered, Almeria have perhaps the easiest route to the quarter-finals, and they will be looking to give themselves the best possible chance of finishing things off at their home ground in the second leg this evening.
The two teams are out on the pitch, and we're not too far away from the kick off now.
KICK OFF: We're up and running here.
Suso finds some space and he turns and fires an ammbitious attempt at goal for the game's first shot. I'm looking forward to watching the on-loan Liverpoool youngster this evening.
Mariano manages to wriggle free and he hammers a shot over the bar from the edge of the box for the home side.
Racing doing their best to play their way into trouble on the edge of their own box. Some indecision amongst the back line before a couple of under-hit passes to one another. However, they manage to clear it in the end.
It's been a fairly quiet opening, with neither side doing much. Racing have just tried to make in-roads down the right but the threat was snuffed out by the visitors. Fairly timid from both teams so far though...
Jonathan feeds Hicham with a through ball and the striker manages to get a shot off but it's tame at the keeper's near post.
Raul Garcia floats a lovely ball right into the danger zone, but neither Hicham or Suso can get on the end of it and bounces to safety. That was a lovely ball.
Almeria are starting to threaten, slowly but surely. Racing won't be too worried at the moment, but the chances are coming the way of the La Liga side.
CHANCE! Should be 1-0! Jonathan tries to square it inside the area for a tap-in, but he over hits it and forces Suso too wide. By the time he reaches it, the chance has gone.
Good effort fired in from the edge of the box from Andre. It's straight down the throat of Ustari though and the keeper holds it.
Racing have started to offer slightly more as an attacking threat the last few minutes.
It's wasted from Jonathan who worked hard to win it back in Racing's final third before he gave it away sloppily with a slack pass as he attempted a one-two.
Suso feeds Raul Garcia, but his shot is charged down, the ball bounces up for Jonathan on the edge of the area, but he is muscled out it before he concedes a foul.
GOAL! Racing 0-1 Almeria (Corona)
It's wonderful from Corona as he feints to shoot 25 yards out before arrowing a low shot with his left right into the bottom corner. Terrific finish.
How that goal will settle the nerves of the visitors. It really was great play by Corona. The goalkeeper Sotres got nowhere near it.
CHANCE! Jonathan is sent scampering away inside the area but the angle is slightly against him and he flashes a shot right across goal.
CHANCE! It's a great header from Mariano, who comes away from goal to arch a header back towards it. It goes just wide. It's Racing's best chance so far and it perhaps deserved better.
Almeria try to catch their opponents unaware with a quick free kick, but Suso's cross is cut out for a corner. The result in-swinger comes to nothing as the keeper gathers.
Suso is seeing plenty of the ball at the moment, and that's exactly what Almeria will want as he has the skill to create chances for them. He drifts inside one challenge before trying a one-two with Jonathan, his teammate decides to take it on himself though and it is eventually worked wide before coming nothing.
Raul Garcia sweeps another low ball into the box, but this time it is less threatening as it bounces up tamely into the goalkeeper's arms. Almeria are dominating possession now though.
Suso once again involved as he exhanges passes with two team-mates before working it wide to Corona. His cross goes the same as Raul Garcia's moments earlier though.
HALF TIME: Racing 0-1 Almeria
Well, hardly a classic, but Almeria have more than shaded it and they will feel like their lead is deserved. Suso is pulling the strings for the visitors and Corona is also enjoying himself out there. At the half time stage, I can only see one winner.
Let's get an update on the other scores in the Copa del Rey this evening...
Barcelona are leading Getafe 1-0 thanks to a goal from Cesc Fabregas, while Alcorcon shocked Espanyol with a 1-0 win earlier this evening. Real Betis managed to squeeze past Athletic Bilabao by the same scoreline.
Looking a little further around Europe, and Manchester City have all but confirmed their place in the League Cup final with a 6-0 hammering of West Ham United at the Etihad. Fioretina are leading Chievo 2-0 in the Coppa Italia while St Etienne beat Evian 1-0. Finally, Crawley Town were beaten 2-1 by Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup. You can of course catch all these respective match reports on the Sports Mole website.
Back to this particular game and you would think that Almeria will be doubling their lead before Racing find their way back into the tie. They have barely threatened all game save for a good header from Mariano. Almeria themselves haven't been great, but they have certainly been the better side.
The two teams are back out on the pitch, so we're moments away from the second half.
KICK OFF And here we go for the second period...
Jonathan, who has been hit and miss throughout this game, encapsulates his whole game by birnging down the ball superbly on the half way line before failing to pass and running into several Racing players.
GOAL DISALLOWED! It's smart work again by Suso and it eventually comes to Jonathan who flights over a cross that Raul Garcia heads home. However, the ball had just gone out before the cross came in.
There appears to be some unrest behind the Racing goal as the stewards struggle to keep several fans off the turf.
It's a rare spell of possession for the home side, but they eventually waste when Martinez tries a long ball and over-hits it out for goal kick.
Raul Garica is having a good game tonight, and he has just chased back to interrupt a Racing move from a throw in to win back the ball for his team.
CHANCE! Tremendous save from Sotres as Raul Garcia dances away into the box before poking it from close range. The keeper tips it away from goal and Jonanthan cannot get his toe on it before the home side clear the ball. Big chance for the visitors.
There appears to be some crowd trouble at the ground. I'm not entirely sure what is happening, but it looks as though several Racing fans are unhappy about something.
Not much happening in the last few minutes. Almeria seem to be content with what they have and Racing don't look as though they have the quality to break the La Liga side down.
GOAL! Racing 1-1 Almeria (David Concha)
Well, that is exactly the opposite to what I was just saying! David Concha is afforded the entire right side to himself and he is allowed to run onto a through ball and he just lifts it over the goalkeeper once inside the box. Composed finish. Totally out of the blue also!
Isn't that just football, Racing haven't looked like scoring at all, and moments after my saying so, they go and get back into thge game.
CHANCE! Almost 2-1 to Racing, and it's again coming from the wide right position. Ayina runs right at goal before slamming an effort against the far post. So close to going in front.
This is the first time Almeria have been tested all game, how will they respond? They are leaving large gaps in the left-back position. It has resulted in the hosts getting back into it and they nearly had the lead from a similar position.
Raul Garcia goes down under a challenge from Mariano to relieve the pressure on his side. They are on the ropes at the minute, as Racing look reinvigorated by the equaliser.
Jonathan and Corona work it well and the latter fires another effort at goal from around 20 yards or so. It is blocked and Almeria have a corner.
BOOKING: Granero goes in the book for a foul on Alex Vidal.
Racing are searching for a winner here, and they know a goal here would help them ahead of their second leg away from home.
Alex Vidal tries to thread Raul Garcia wide left, but the winger had strayed marginally offside as he chased it.
That decision was a strange one as there was a defender inside the area, clearly. Jonathan seems incensed by it, and I can understand why.
SUBSTITUTION: Suso, who has faded this second half, makes way for Oscar Diaz.
We're into the final five minutes of normal time here. Is there to be a winner?
CHANCE! Inaki chases it down the left for Racing and lays a great ball across the face of goal, but no one is there to turn it home, it was crying out to be touched into the net. Big chance for the home side.
Corona tries am ambitious effort from close to the half way line. It's not the worst strike you'll see but it was never troubling the goalkeeper.
It's looking like we're going to have a score-draw in the first leg, as we head into stoppage time, will there be late drama?
Almeria have a corner...
It's a decent delivery from Corona but Racing get it clear before it is knocked back into the area, Sotres gathers and that should be that...
FULL TIME: Racing 1-1 Almeria
Almeria will be disappointed that they couldn't turn their dominance into more goals before the home side rallied. It was an impressive comeback from Racing given that they had nothing up until the equaliser.
Almeria will fancy their chances of progression though, the second leg will be played at their home.
Well, that's all from me, I hope you enjoyed the live commentary. Until next time, bye for now.
Written by
Paul Gorst
Paul Gorst
