A pleasing performance by Las Palmas against Birmingham at St George’s Park (1-4)
UD Las Palmas started with victory on the England tour, overcoming Birmingham City (1-4). Since their historical match in the UEFA Cup in October 1977 against Ipswich Town, Las Palmas hadn’t played an English side in the United Kingdom.
Las Palmas’ technical style looked good at times in St George’s Park against very young and physical opponents. Manolo Jiménez used the first match in England to mainly take a look at second string players who have been training with the first team. Birmingham City did the same, the second division side resorted to a mainly long ball game in pure British style.
The ball was moved around quickly on the impeccable surface on pitch nº 12 here at ‘The home of English football’, a world-renowned setting. Both sides are immersed in gaining match practise, but this did not cast a shadow on this competitive friendly, with players keen to show their abilities. In matches like this which can often be low-key affairs, it was good to see players offering something a little different. Momo, with the first shot on goal, opened the scoring in the 10th minute.
Las Palmas looked to play a passing game at every phase in the match, even though they risked being caught out by an inferior footballing team in terms of attack, who managed to scramble an equalizer in the last move of the first half, courtesy of Dan Scarr.
4-4-2 is the system with which Jiménez wants to give UD Las Palmas their seal of identity. With a few loose ends to tie up, the yellows -today wearing a green away kit- are gradually settling into the playing style their Seville-born manager is trying to forge.
At the restart, a skillful piece of play by Tana ended with a cross-shot by Edu Espiau that put Las Palmas 1-2 ahead. The team’s superiority then got its just reward with a third goal, this time by Erik Expósito (min. 66). Then a superb strike by Rafa Mir, with his first touch of the match, was given a loud reception by the hundred or so fans who turned up to St George`s Park. The final scoreline of 1-4 left a lot of positives for the Canary side.
UD Las Palmas now turn their attention this Sunday at 15.00 to their second match in England, as they face Leeds United, managed by Marcelo Bielsa, in the legendary stadium of Elland Road.
MATCH FACTS:
(1) BIRMINGHAM CITY: David Stockdale, Josh Martin, Jonathan Grounds, Camero Mcgilp, Dan Scarr, Joe Redmond, Greg Stewart, Odin Bailey, Nicolai Brock-Madsen, Kyle Mcfarlane y Tom Anderson. SUBSTITUTES: Geraldo, Bajrami, Tom Glover, George Baker, Francis Amartey, Ryan Stirk and Danny Lupano. TRAINER: Richard Baele / Paul Robinson.
(4) UD LAS PALMAS: Nauzet Pérez, Diego Parras, Deivid, Álex Suárez, Benito, Josemi, Vicente Gómez, Momo, Tana, Edu Espiau y Erik Expósito. SUBSTITUTES: Raúl Fernández, Álvaro Lemos, David García, Cala, Dani Castellano, Javi Castellano, Fabio, Fidel, Rafa Mir, Rubén Castro, Araujo, Eric Curbelo and Josep. TRAINER: Manolo Jiménez.
GOALS: 0-1, min. 10: Momo. 1-1, min. 45: Dan Scarr. 1-2, min. 48: Edu Espiau. 1-3, min. 66: Erik Expósito. 1-4, min. 72: Rafa Mir.
REFEREE: Stephen Martín, English referee. Assisted by linesmen Steven Rushton and Joe Clark. He showed a yellow card to Joe Redmon.
INCIDENTS: First friendly of UD Las Palmas’ pre-season tour of England held on pitch nº12 at St George's Park National Centre in front of 100 fans. The match was broadcast live by UDRADIO and Televisión Canaria.
