Real Oviedo secured their first win of the Segunda División season with a 0-1 victory away at Albacete on Saturday at the Carlos Belmonte. Pablo Sáenz scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute, while goalkeeper Aarón Escandell secured the points with two key saves.
Manager Julián Calero surprised with a lineup that debuted a new tactical system. The team started with a five-man defence, featuring David Costas, Carlos Domínguez, and Juan Cruz as centre-backs, with wing-backs Aisar and Samu. In midfield, the major surprise was the absence of Reina, who started on the bench, making way for Youness and Villahermosa. The attack was formed by Pablo Sáenz and Jacobo on the wings, with Isfan as the most advanced forward. This setup, as visible on our squad page, reflects a search for defensive solidity after the opening matches.
Oviedo's ball possession was limited, but they found danger down the right flank, where Aisar was very active. The first clear chance fell to Jacobo after a counter from Aisar, but his shot was saved by Mariño. Albacete responded with an effort from Corpas that Aarón Escandell palmed away with sharp reflexes. The persistence down that side finally paid off. Isfan stole the ball, held off pressure, and found the run of Pablo Sáenz, who finished accurately for the game's only goal.
Pablo Sáenz was the standout player in attack, involved in most of the dangerous moves and scoring the winning goal. However, goalkeeper Aarón Escandell was again decisive in securing the three points. In the second half, with Albacete pushing forward, the keeper made a vital stop from a shot by Álex Rubio who found himself one-on-one. Escandell is maintaining excellent form, a fact supported by the data on our stats page.
In the second half, Calero made changes to manage the result. Mingo and Aldasoro came on for Isfan and Jacobo respectively, providing fresh legs in attack. Later, Enzo Pérez replaced Pablo Sáenz and Nacho Vidal took over from Aisar. The team finished the match in a very compact shape, with three centre-backs, four midfielders, and Mingo as the sole reference up front. The youth academy product Dieguito also got his first minutes of the season when he came on for Villahermosa.
Despite the changes, Oviedo struggled to keep possession, which kept Albacete's hopes alive until the final whistle. Only Enzo and Dieguito showed clarity in the moments of greatest home pressure. The win puts Real Oviedo on three points in the early stages, a positive start they will look to build on.
