CD Estepona Heads to Tenerife: The Test That Could Confirm That Something Has Changed

Some victories are simply worth three points.

And some victories make a difference.

CD Estepona’s win in Puente Genil was one of the latter.

0-2.

First victory of the season.

First road win.

Second shutout of the season.

And, above all, a response.

Because seven days earlier, the team had taken a hit.

1-4 against Linares.

And the response came far from the Muñoz Pérez stadium.

Without hiding.

Without changing their approach.

Without waiting.

Estepona went out to compete.

And they won.

Now another test awaits.

Much farther away.

Much tougher.

And against an opponent that sits ahead in the standings.

Sunday.

12:00 p.m.

Ciudad Deportiva Javier Pérez.

Tenerife.

Matchday 4.

And a CD Tenerife B that already has six points.

Estepona has four.

Two teams separated by just two points.

But with different vibes.

And with the same question:

Who will be able to sustain what they’ve started to build?

The victory at Puente Genil changed the narrative

Because before talking about Tenerife, we have to talk about Puente Genil.

It was the game of the comeback.

The first away game.

The first since the 1-4 loss.

And the team responded.

Pablo Aguilar opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute.

Estepona held on.

They competed.

And they waited.

Puente Genil had more possession.

But Estepona had the clearest chances and knew how to control the game when it mattered most.

And just when it looked like it was going to end 0-1, Pablo Arriaza stepped up.

96th minute.

A right-footed shot from the edge of the box.

0–2.

Game over.

Game won.

And a feeling that’s almost as valuable as the three points.

Estepona had learned to endure.

But they had also regained something they’d already shown on the first matchday.

A clean sheet.

Because their league opener against Xerez also ended 0-0.

Two clean sheets in three matchdays.

Two games without conceding a goal.

And a defense that, after the setback against Linares, regained its confidence.

The statistics also revealed an interesting detail: Puente Genil had 53% possession, but Manolo Sánchez’s team finished with more shots on goal—four to one.

It wasn’t a fluke victory.

It was a victory born of maturity.

And that changes the outlook for tomorrow’s match.

Now comes a different kind of trip

Because Tenerife isn’t just any away game.

It’s approximately 1,720 kilometers from Estepona.

A flight from Málaga lasting about two and a half hours.

And a new stadium for CD Estepona in official competition.

The Ciudad Deportiva Javier Pérez.

Everything is different.

The field.

The weather.

The schedule.

The trip.

The opponent.

And even the way we prepare for the match.

The schedule had already marked September as one of the most demanding months of the season.

But this will simply be the second league away game of the season.

Before this, the team already had to travel to Puente Genil.

Now it’s time to cross the sea.

And after Tenerife, a completely different stretch of games will follow:

Don Benito at home.

Club Atlético Central at home.

And then Marbella on the road.

Las Palmas Atlético is still far off on the schedule.

That match will be on Matchday 13, in late November.

Right now, it’s all about Tenerife.

Because Tenerife is waiting.

And they’re waiting with six points.

A Tenerife B Team That Has Already Found Its Stride

The opponent is coming into this match at a different stage.

And the numbers speak for themselves.

Three games.

Two wins.

One loss.

Six goals scored.

Four goals allowed.

Six points.

Fourth place.

The start wasn’t perfect.

But they’ve gone from strength to strength.

On the first matchday, they lost 2-1 to CD Badajoz.

And that result could have been different.

Tenerife’s reserve team had periods of dominance.

They created chances.

They even had a penalty kick that they failed to convert.

Omar Sánchez scored in the 73rd minute to make it 2-1 and keep the match open until the end.

Badajoz held on.

But Tenerife B had already sent a first signal.

There was good soccer.

They just needed to turn it into points.

And then came the turnaround.

Two Consecutive Wins

Matchday 2 was the turning point.

A 3-1 win over Club Atlético Central.

And with a twist.

Tenerife B didn’t score until after halftime.

But when they did…

they scored three times.

Dylan opened the scoring.

Omar Sánchez added the second.

And Manu Vila sealed the win.

Leandro Cabrera “Mazinho”’s team had found a way to close out games that had previously slipped away.

A week later, they did it again.

This time on the road.

In Lucena.

And against a team that was still undefeated.

Tenerife B took a 0-1 lead in the 27th minute.

Omar Sánchez.

Again.

Five minutes later, the second goal came.

Óscar Bazaga.

2-0.

Ciudad de Lucena pulled one back in the 89th minute.

But it was already too late.

1-2.

Three points.

Second consecutive victory.

And the first away win of the season.

Now Tenerife B returns home.

And they do so with momentum that speaks for itself.

Omar Sánchez Already Has Three

And there’s one name Estepona will have to keep an eye on.

Omar Sánchez.

Three games.

Three starts.

Three goals.

One in Badajoz.

One against Atlético Central.

And another in Lucena.

He’s currently Tenerife B’s leading scorer.

And he’s not the only player making an impact.

Dylan Perera has already scored.

Manu Vila has as well.

Óscar Bazaga has too.

The team has scored six goals in three matchdays.

And five of those have come in the last two games.

That says a lot.

But it says even more about something else.

Tenerife B is finding the back of the net.

And when a young team starts finding the back of the net, it can become a problem.

Because youth also brings something that doesn’t show up in the stats.

Speed.

Boldness.

Energy.

And fearlessness.

Mazinho and a Team Built to Grow

Leandro Cabrera will be on the home bench.

Mazinho.

A coach entering his second season at the helm of the Blue-and-Whites’ reserve team, with a very specific mission:

to develop players.

Because Tenerife B isn’t just a Segunda Federación team.

It’s also a fundamental part of CD Tenerife’s structure.

And that shapes the way they play.

The squad’s average age is close to 21.

And twenty of its players are registered as U-23s.

It’s a young team.

Very young.

But not inexperienced.

Because many of those players have been competing within professional systems for years.

The club is also entering its third consecutive season in the Segunda Federación, after managing to stay in the division during the previous two seasons.

And this year, it has added players from clubs such as Eibar, Arenas de Getxo, Getafe, Real Unión, Tudelano, and CD Tenerife itself.

Among them are names like Sergio Aragoneses, Álex Llorens, Manu Vila, Tito, and Óscar Bazaga.

But the core group currently competing has something even more important.

Continuity.

And a recognizable identity.

A Match with No Prior History

There’s one detail that makes this matchup even more special.

They’ve never faced each other.

There are no official records.

There are no statistics to look at.

There was no last visit.

There is no defeat to avenge.

There is no victory to defend.

Nothing.

Tenerife B and CD Estepona are writing their own story this Sunday.

And that takes away some of the weight that usually comes with soccer.

There’s no history here.

Just the present.

One team with six points.

Another with four.

A reserve team that’s been improving.

An Estepona side coming off a win.

And a match that could put one of the two in an even more promising position within the group.

Estepona Is No Longer Traveling to Bounce Back

And here lies probably the most important difference compared to a week ago.

In Puente Genil, Estepona was traveling to bounce back.

They had lost 1–4.

They needed to prove that result hadn’t derailed their path.

And they responded.

Now it’s different.

Now they’re traveling on the heels of a win.

After keeping a clean sheet for the second time this season.

After regaining confidence.

And with four points on the board.

It’s not much.

But it’s not nothing either.

Because the standings are still just beginning to take shape.

And Estepona is in tenth place, just two points behind Tenerife B, which holds fourth place.

One game can change a lot of things.

And even more so in September.

But the schedule also plays a role

Sunday.

12:00 p.m.

And for Estepona, it will be a different kind of morning.

The match will kick off at 11:00 a.m. in the Canary Islands, but at 12:00 p.m. on the mainland.

Just one more detail.

Another small hurdle.

Because these away games aren’t won solely during the 90 minutes.

They’re also prepared for beforehand.

Travel.

Rest.

Adjustment.

Focus.

And the return trip.

It’s all part of the game.

And in such a tightly contested division, the small details end up making a big difference.

Travel Is Also Part of the Season

CD Estepona will face some of the longest road trips in the group this season.

The Canary Islands represent a significant part of that effort.

This Sunday, it will be approximately 1,720 kilometers to Tenerife.

But Las Palmas Atlético is still a long way off.

That match won’t take place until late November.

Before then, there will be many other matches to play.

Don Benito.

Club Atlético Central.

Marbella.

Ciudad de Lucena.

Antoniano.

Tamaraceite.

Mijas-Las Lagunas.

Sevilla Atlético.

And only then will Las Palmas come.

That’s why this Sunday’s trip shouldn’t be seen as the start of a series.

It’s a test in and of itself.

A trip.

A game.

Three points.

And an opportunity.

Because while other teams prepare for a match within a few kilometers, Estepona has to cross the sea.

But that can’t become an excuse either.

Because soccer isn’t about kilometers.

It’s about goals.

Points.

Focus.

And competition.

And now another test begins

The 0-2 loss in Puente Genil had a significant impact.

It changed the mood.

The team lost to Linares.

They bounced back in Córdoba.

Now it’s time to see if they can do it again.

Because a comeback shows character.

Two wins start to show consistency.

And that’s what Estepona is looking for.

Not just winning a single game.

Building momentum.

Piling up points.

Competing.

And reaching October knowing what kind of team it wants to be.

Manolo Sánchez already made it clear after the loss to Linares that he wasn’t going to change his approach.

And that was evident in Puente Genil.

The team remained true to its style.

Only this time, it was more solid.

More patient.

Smarter.

That’s what they’ll have to do again.

Because Tenerife B is going to demand much more.

It’s a team that wants possession.

That has fast players.

That comes in with confidence.

And that’s scoring goals.

But they’ve also conceded four goals in three matchdays.

And that means there are openings.

There are opportunities.

There’s a game to be played.

Tenerife Is a True Test

Some games are for bouncing back.

Others are for proving yourself.

This one falls into the second category.

Estepona comes in with four points.

Tenerife B, with six.

One is coming off a win at Puente Genil.

The other, a win at Lucena.

Both teams are coming in with confidence.

Both know they can pick up points.

And both know that September doesn’t decide anything yet.

But it does begin to chart a course.

Tenerife B wants to keep improving.

Estepona wants to prove it can, too.

And then one word comes to mind.

Consistency.

Because soccer doesn’t reward what you did last week.

It challenges you all over again every Sunday.

Now it’s time to cross the sea

We have to travel.

We have to get up early.

We have to fly.

And then we have to play.

Sunday.

12:00 p.m.

Ciudad Deportiva Javier Pérez.

The first official match between Tenerife B and CD Estepona.

The fourth game of the season.

The second away game.

The second chance on the road.

And maybe something more.

The chance to prove that Puente Genil wasn’t just a one-off.

It was a step forward.

Because Estepona already knows how to win on the road.

They already know how to keep a clean sheet.

They already know how to dig deep.

Now it’s time to do it again.

Against a team sitting in fourth place.

Against a young opponent.

Against a Tenerife B squad that’s coming off two straight wins.

And on a field where everything will be new.

There’s no history between them.

Not yet.

The story begins on Sunday.

And Estepona is ready to write the first page.

Tenerife awaits.

And Estepona hits the road again.