CD Estepona seeks answers in Puente Genil after the blow

Some defeats hurt.

And there are defeats that force you to look ahead.

CD Estepona arrives at its first away game of the season after receiving a blow that no one expected.

1-4 against Linares.

A result that was too big for what happened during much of that first half.

But the result also made one thing clear.

In the Second Federation, it's not enough to just play well for a while.

We have to support it.

You have to compete when the game changes.

And you have to know how to react when the opponent hits you.

Tomorrow Estepona will have their first opportunity to do so.

19:00.

Manuel Polinario.

Puente Genil.

Third day.

First displacement.

And facing them is Salerm Puente Genil, who are also not in a perfect situation.

He arrives with three points.

With five goals scored.

With two received.

And with a defeat in the last minute of their visit to the Nuevo Colombino.

Football has already begun to teach its first lessons.

Now it's time to learn.

The 1-4 score doesn't tell the whole story

The result against Linares was resounding.

That's not up for debate.

But the game had two completely different sides.

Estepona were better for much of the first half.

He pressed.

Domino.

Gender.

And they took the lead in the 33rd minute with a goal from Maxi Benites after an assist from David Ballarín.

Up to that point, the match seemed to reflect what the team had shown a week earlier against Xerez.

A recognizable team.

A team that wanted to be in charge.

A team that wanted to play.

But then came the blow.

Linares equalized in the 41st minute.

And four minutes later he scored again.

1-2.

Two actions.

Two blows.

And a game that changed before halftime.

Then came David Velázquez's 1-3.

And Menudo's 1-4 in stoppage time.

The result ended up being much more decisive than the feelings of the first 45 minutes.

But precisely for that reason, the defeat leaves a question more important than the score itself:

How does Estepona respond when things go wrong?

The answers will begin tomorrow.

The first trip arrives at the perfect time.

Because the calendar doesn't wait either.

After two games at the Muñoz Pérez stadium, Estepona plays away for the first time.

And it does so to face, moreover, two consecutive moves.

First Puente Genil.

After Tenerife B.

Two games out.

Two different scenarios.

And a first opportunity to see if what happened against Linares was a one-off stumble or the first warning of a season that will demand much more than what was seen in the opening match.

Manolo Sánchez's team has one point after the first two rounds.

Draw against Xerez.

Defeat against Linares.

One goal scored.

Four nestled together.

The numbers are still too small to draw conclusions.

But they are enough to understand something:

Now it's time to react.

There's no need to change everything.

It needs to be corrected.

Because the idea that appeared against Xerez and during a good part of the game against Linares is still there.

Pressure.

Intensity.

I play forward.

But the Second Federation also demands something else.

Emotional control.

And the ability to survive difficult times.

And Puente Genil already knows how to hurt Estepona.

It's not a new rival.

Not at all.

In fact, there's a small outstanding issue.

Last season the two teams faced each other twice.

And Puente Genil won both times.

The first one was in December.

In Muñoz Pérez himself.

Estepona took the lead with a penalty converted by Roi Tato in the 16th minute.

It seemed that the afternoon could start differently.

But Alan Araiza equalized before halftime.

And when the game seemed to be heading towards a draw, Tommy Montenegro appeared in the 90th minute to make it 1-2.

Bang.

And three points for the Puente Genil team.

Three months later, in March, it happened again.

This time at the Manuel Polinario.

1-0.

A close game.

A game with few spaces.

And another victory for Puente Genil.

The recent balance sheet, therefore, does not favor Estepona.

Two matches.

Two defeats.

One goal scored.

Three nestled together.

But there is also an important difference.

That Estepona team was different.

And this Puente Genil is too.

A rival that has returned to the Second Division due to a very particular story

Because the context of the Puente Genil team deserves to be told.

Salerm Puente Genil achieved promotion to the Second Federation in May 2025, after being proclaimed champion of Group X of the Third Federation.

Last season, however, they were unable to maintain their league status.

It ended up descending.

And during the summer a second chance arrived.

The vacancy left in the category allowed the club to regain its place in the Second Federation.

So Puente Genil is back where it wanted to be.

And he does so with an obvious motivation.

He doesn't want this second chance to be just that.

He wants to make it permanent.

Or in something else.

And the start of the season shows that he hasn't arrived to participate.

Four goals to start

The premiere was a statement of intent.

4-0 to Mijas-Las Lagunas.

And it wasn't a last-minute rout.

The game was practically decided before halftime.

Alan Araiza opened the scoring.

Juan María scored the second one.

And he reappeared to score the third one.

Salva Vegas then completed the rout in the second half.

Migue García's team was superior.

It was a hit.

He found spaces.

And he converted his chances.

The result made Puente Genil one of the main protagonists of the first day.

But then came the second day.

And the scenario changed completely.

From 4-0 to the blow at the Nuevo Colombino

Puente Genil traveled to Huelva.

And there he encountered another match.

Recreativo was superior for much of the first half.

Aitor García overtook the Dean.

The Puente Genil team had trouble building attacks for a few minutes.

But then he changed.

And a lot.

After the break, Puente Genil loosened up.

He competed.

It was a draw.

And for many minutes he put Recreativo in an uncomfortable situation.

The 1-1 equalizer came from Antonio Pajuelo.

And the game seemed to be heading towards a draw.

Until Ale Marín appeared.

Minute 89.

2-1.

Defeat.

But not a rout.

No disconnection.

No surrender.

The Genil Bridge collapsed.

But he made it clear that he also knows how to compete when the game demands a different performance.

And that is precisely what Estepona will have to watch out for.

Migue García and an idea that is already starting to gain recognition

The home team's bench will be occupied by Migue García, accompanied by Joaquín García.

And there is an interesting peculiarity.

Migue knows the club perfectly.

He was one of the protagonists of the promotion achieved by Puente Genil in 2025 as a footballer.

Now he faces another challenge from the bench.

The club's commitment to both coaches also has an identity component.

They are two men who know the house.

Two people who have already experienced Polinario football from the inside.

And now they're trying to build it from the sidelines.

Migue García already made clear during his presentation the idea he wants for his team:

a brave Salerm.

A team that goes out to win.

A team that wants to dominate.

Among the names that have already played a prominent role are Javi Luengo in goal, Alan Araiza, Salva Vegas, Juan Rosa, Polaco, Manu Viana, Loren Bianco or Tommy Montenegro.

And there's one who's already left his business card.

Juan María.

Two goals on the first matchday.

Power.

Arrival.

Ability to attack spaces.

And a performance that made him one of the key figures in that rout of Mijas.

It won't be the only problem.

But it is one of the names that Estepona will have to keep an eye on.

Puente Genil is not invincible

And here is probably the most important part.

Because the opponent comes with arguments.

But it also has cracks.

He has conceded two goals in two matches.

He lost in Huelva.

And during the first half against Recreativo, he had difficulties getting out of the back cleanly.

Estepona, therefore, does not need to invent a different game.

He needs to get back some of the things he's already proven he can do.

Press.

Move the opponent.

Finding the spaces.

And, above all, to maintain concentration when the game changes.

Because Puente Genil has shown that it can do harm.

But it can also suffer.

And that will be one of the keys to the afternoon.

The reaction begins far from the Muñoz Pérez stadium

There is something symbolic about this match.

The first move comes after the first defeat.

Not after a victory.

Not after a streak.

After a blow.

And that changes the scenario.

At home, Muñoz Pérez pushes forward.

The environment helps.

People are squeezing.

Outside, all of that disappears.

The team remains.

The players.

The plan.

Concentration.

Personality.

And perhaps that's why this match has a different value.

Because it's not just about adding three points.

The aim is to see what Estepona emerges when the context ceases to be favorable.

The team doesn't need to forget. It needs to learn.

The 1-4 score is already there.

It cannot be deleted.

There's no need to do it either.

Because even bad games teach you something.

Estepona now knows that dominating doesn't always mean winning.

Being ahead doesn't guarantee anything.

That an opponent can change a game in five minutes.

And that a good first part is useless if the second part becomes a different story.

But he also knows something else.

It has football.

He showed it against Xerez.

He showed it against Linares.

Even in a 1-4 defeat.

Now you need to make it a regular thing.

And consistency starts outside.

Tomorrow we have to answer.

Some seasons start with a victory.

There are others that begin with doubts.

And there are others that start by showing exactly what they will be for many months:

good matches.

Bad matches.

Blows.

Answers.

And moments when you have to start over.

CD Estepona is at that point.

One point.

Two days.

A defeat.

A displacement.

And a rival that arrives with three points and with the recent memory of having beaten Estepona twice last season.

But also with a defeat in their last game.

With a team that is still being built.

And with a setting that Estepona is already familiar with.

Manuel Polinario.

19:00.

First outing.

First test away from home.

Tomorrow there's no need to promise anything.

Competition is necessary.

It needs to be corrected.

We need to become that team again that presses, that plays forward and that doesn't hide.

And, above all, it is necessary to demonstrate that a defeat does not change a course.

He puts him to the test.

Because that's also what football is about.

In falling.

Look at the scoreboard.

Breathe.

And get back up again.

CD Estepona plays again tomorrow.

Away from home.

After a 1-4.

Against an opponent who already knows how to beat him.

And precisely for that reason…

Tomorrow another part of the story begins.