Zaragoza a un paso del descenso

Real Zaragoza’s 3-1 home defeat to Sporting de Gijón on Sunday left the club at the bottom of LaLiga Hypermotion with two matches remaining. Yussif Saidu gave Zaragoza the lead in the 23rd minute at Ibercaja Estadio, but Sporting turned the game before halftime through Lucas Perrin and Àlex Corredera. The result left Zaragoza on 35 points after 40 matches, five points from safety with only six left to play. El Periódico de Aragón said the defeat left David Navarro’s side needing to make up ground on four teams in the final two rounds. ### How did Zaragoza lose a game it had started to control? Yussif Saidu put Zaragoza ahead in the 23rd minute after a start that gave the home side a chance to cut the gap in the relegation fight. El Periódico de Aragón said the goal came in what it described as Zaragoza’s “última bala” to move within two points of survival. Sporting de Gijón equalized in the 29th minute when Lucas Perrin scored from a set piece, according to the match timeline. Àlex Corredera then made it 2-1 in the 41st minute after a penalty was retaken and converted, following an earlier save by Adrián Rodríguez that did not stand, El Periódico de Aragón reported. Amadou Coundoul added Sporting’s third in stoppage time, scoring on the counterattack in the 95th minute after Zaragoza had pushed forward. The final score was 3-1, with an announced attendance of 12,316. ### What does the table look like after 40 rounds? LaLiga’s official standings listed Real Zaragoza in 22nd place after matchday 40 with 35 points. The same table showed Cádiz in 18th on 40 points, Mirandés in 19th on 37, and Huesca and Cultural Leonesa above Zaragoza on 36 points each, although Huesca had played one match fewer. Global Sports Archive’s post-match table also showed Zaragoza last on 35 points after 40 games and five points behind Cádiz, the team sitting just above the relegation line. El Periódico de Aragón said Zaragoza would need to overtake four teams to stay up. Monday’s match between Leganés and Huesca remained to be played as of LaLiga’s jornada 40 schedule. Leganés started that game on 42 points and Huesca on 36, making it one of the fixtures that could further shape the relegation picture. ### Why is the margin for survival now so small? Two rounds remain in LaLiga Hypermotion, which means Zaragoza can still win a maximum of six points. With Cádiz already on 40 points, Zaragoza would need to win out and still require results elsewhere to close the gap. El Periódico de Aragón said the defeat left Zaragoza “a cinco puntos de la permanencia a falta de seis por jugar.” That arithmetic means the club no longer controls its own survival chances. Sporting’s win also moved the Asturian side to 55 points and 12th place, according to the post-match standings. For Zaragoza, the immediate effect was sharper: the club stayed rooted to the bottom after a match it had led. ### What happened around the stadium and bench? El Periódico de Aragón reported that Zaragoza supporters threw fake banknotes bearing the face of owner Jorge Mas and chanted for the board to resign during the match. The same report said the crowd also directed chants at the players. David Navarro made four changes to the starting lineup, according to El Periódico de Aragón, with Aleksandar Radovanovic, Dani Tasende, Saidu and Hugo Pinilla coming in. Rober was unavailable because of injury, the report said. The match was played at Ibercaja Estadio in Zaragoza, with Jon Ander González listed as the referee and Luis Milla as VAR, according to the match report and timeline data. ### What comes next for Zaragoza? Next Sunday, Zaragoza travel to Gran Canaria to face Las Palmas, El Periódico de Aragón reported. LaLiga’s official site says clubs can check upcoming fixtures through the competition calendar. Leganés host Huesca on Monday, May 18, in the remaining match tied directly to the lower end of the table. Zaragoza’s final two rounds will now unfold alongside those results, beginning with the trip to Las Palmas on May 24.