Álvaro Arbeloa’s Castilla were looking for their fourth consecutive win as they hosted Real Avilés at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium on Saturday evening. They achieved their goal convincingly with a 2–0
victory, thanks to a first-half brace from Loren Zúñiga. Avilés were ahead of Castilla in the Group 1 table at kick-off — a situation that didn’t take long to change.
Castilla got off to a positive start, as Loren Zúñiga’s perfectly timed header put the home side ahead within the first 20 minutes. He doubled both his tally and Castilla’s lead just five minutes later, following a swift breakaway down the right flank and a precise cutback from David Jiménez. On a windy and chilly night in Valdebebas, Arbeloa’s team looked cozy and comfortable halfway through the first half.
Castilla ended the first half strongly, with most of their attacking sequences flowing down the right side. Thiago Pitarch, Jiménez, and Pol Fortuny offered little breathing room to the Avilés defenders, while Zúñiga remained a constant threat in the box.
Avilés’ starting XI had an average age of 28.7 years compared to Castilla’s 19.9, but it was Castilla who looked more like a team of men than boys. They managed the game well to preserve their lead in the second half despite a few rare defensive lapses. This win — their fourth in the last five games — now places Castilla fourth in the Group 1 table, putting them into a playoff berth, for now.
Castilla will face CF Talavera de la Reina at home on November 2nd.
