Real Zaragoza 1-0 Antequera: Live Match Coverage
Real Zaragoza secured a 1-0 victory over Antequera. Here is our match report.
Real Zaragoza secured a 1-0 victory over Antequera. Here is our match report.
Saved in the 90th minute. A bare passing grade, as if Antequera, beaten 1-0 at the death, were a lenient teacher and Real Zaragoza the student who struggles. They had to win and they did; they had to pass and they passed. It came on their debut at Ibercaja Estadio and after a very painful defeat. Espiau scored the goal that does not set the course, but does provide the essential: three points.
Real Zaragoza will not look the same this weekend as it did last weekend, when it lost 2-0 to Nàstic de Tarragona. Changes are coming—not many, but some. Coach Ibai Gómez has confirmed that one of the three latest signings—Iranzo, Ureña or Sangalli—will start on Saturday against Antequera.
Real Zaragoza coach Ibai Gómez is thrilled with his players. “We have the best squad, without a doubt,” he said after the transfer window closed. With it, the team should achieve promotion to the Segunda División by the quickest route.
There are not many things to improve after Real Zaragoza’s latest defeat. Following the 2-0 loss to Nástic de Tarragona, coach Ibai Gómez has reaffirmed his post-match comments. “I wasn’t wrong about what I said; after reviewing it, the team deserved to win,” he said.
Real Zaragoza are the team to beat in the third tier. They already were in Segunda, despite finishing bottom in last season's dismal campaign, and that status has now grown even stronger. Their next opponent, Antequera, sees it the same way, as coach Abraham Paz has said publicly. "The pressure is on them; they're obliged to win every game," he said.
Real Zaragoza will play their first non-weekend fixture this September. It will be matchday 5, at Can Misses against Ibiza, on Friday the 25th at 9:15 p.m. So far, all of the Aragonese team's matches this season have been scheduled for Saturday or Sunday.
Real Zaragoza’s numbers at Ibercaja Estadio are dismal. The team has managed just two home wins in 2026, the last a 2-0 victory over Real Racing featuring a surprising detail: Marco Sangalli scored the decisive goal for the hosts—an own goal.
The third and final player to speak after signing for Real Zaragoza was Marco Sangalli. The right-back, who arrives from Racing de Santander, has trained on his own throughout the summer after becoming a free agent on June 30. He says he has worked in good condition and hopes to be “100% as soon as possible.”
Just as Real Zaragoza made its Primera RFEF debut last Sunday with a defeat in Tarragona, Joan Masip Vidal will make his debut in Spain's third-tier division this weekend at Ibercaja Estadio. The Catalan referee will officiate the match between Ibai Gómez's side and Antequera this Saturday at 9:00 p.m. at the Zaragoza stadium.
The list is getting shorter. Another player from the disastrous squad that sent Real Zaragoza out of professional football last season has found a new destination. Juan Larios, who spent the second half of last season on loan at the Aragonese club, will continue playing in Segunda División after joining Eldense for the next two seasons.
Rubén Iranzo is set to play an important role at the heart of Real Zaragoza's defense. After joining Ibai Gómez's squad several days ago and being included in the squad for the opening match in Tarragona, where he did not play, he was presented Thursday as the club's newest signing and stressed that he has arrived to play as a natural center-back.
Óscar Ureña was almost an improvised signing for Real Zaragoza following Emil Hansson's forced departure for personal reasons. The Spanish-Dominican winger was unveiled on Thursday and already says he is ready to compete, insisting he is at 100% despite not having completed preseason with any team after spending the entire summer as a free agent.
Real Zaragoza sporting director Lalo Arantegui has echoed coach Ibai Gómez: the team must lead the third tier, now called Primera RFEF. Speaking Thursday, he said the team is in good shape despite the defeat. "We are ready sooner than I thought," he said of the goal of winning the group.
Real Zaragoza closed the transfer window on Tuesday with several deals that remained possibilities but ultimately came to nothing, at least for now. One involved Yussif Saidu, who could have left the club but eventually stayed in the Aragonese capital. Regarding the winter window, sporting director Lalo Arantegui acknowledges that changes could take place.
That makes two. For the second day in a row, Real Zaragoza have all their players available. So far, the team has no injuries, an issue that hampered the club last season. Coach Ibai Gómez can choose his lineup without constraints.
Wednesday’s training session brought key news for Real Zaragoza: coach Ibai Gómez has the entire squad available. Right-back Marco Sangalli trained normally and will be ready for Saturday’s opener at Ibercaja Estadio, completing the squad until January.
Real Zaragoza are set to welcome back center-back Diego González for their season debut at Ibercaja Estadio. He is expected to return this Saturday against Antequera after rejoining his teammates in training, wearing protective headgear.
Álvaro Cortés' departure from F.C. Barcelona had been effectively decided for several days, and near the end of the transfer window it became official that he was leaving the Catalan club for Royal Antwerp in Belgium's Jupiler Pro League.