UD Las Palmas kicked off their Liga SmartBank 2019-2020 campaign with some moments of good football, but lost out against SD Huesca (0-1). Pepe Mel’s side played with bravery, looking to play possession football and gaining the upper hand against SD Huesca. Las Palmas created dangerous openings down the left wing through Benito and Galarreta. Josep Martínez made a good save in the 20th minute to keep out a low shot by Raba, following a quick counter attack by the away side. Galarreta responded just a minute later with a shot that flew over the bar. The fans cheered their side on, and they even applauded the water planes that flew over the Estadio Gran Canaria as they fought against the forest fires on the island.
The game was played at a good pace as Huesca put their foot on the accelerator and slipped balls through Las Palmas’ backline creating moments of danger. Las Palmas played patient possession football. One of their aims was to not run themselves into the ground in midfield. Their loss of possession was worrying however. Juan Carlos, with a header, went close for the visitors (min. 29). Then the final few minutes before half time were controlled by the home side, but the scoreline remained 0-0.
Both Las Palmas and Huesca tried to steady their defenses in the second half. In tactical terms both sides played a similar style. Mel’s side continued to keep the ball for longer periods in search of the killer pass. Tiredness and the lack of pre-season training took its toll on Rubén Castro, who alongside Fabio was substituted in the 75th minute. Then just a minute later Álex Gallar put the ball beyond the reach of Josep Martínez (min. 76).
The last quarter of an hour of the match went off with little incident. Huesca, a tough team and no cracks in their playing style, protected their advantage until the final whistle. Las Palmas toiled valiantly, but the first three points of the season were taken away by the visitors at the Estadio de Gran Canaria.
