Real Zaragoza: 7 hours without a goal in play with Diego and Iranzo

Real Zaragoza have gone seven hours without conceding a goal from open play with Diego and Iranzo anchoring the defense. Since Ajegun’s 3-4 in Torremolinos with two minutes to go in the 90th, the Aragon side has only suffered goals from the spot.

The run adds up to 270 minutes where they’ve been solid beyond set pieces. After the derby against Teruel last Sunday, when Moreno scored early to make it 0-1, the pattern held: no goals from play.

With Diego and Iranzo on the pitch, Zaragoza concede penalties but not strikes in open play. Nàstic scored two penalties on the first matchday, but neither of them played then. Antequera (1-0) didn’t crack them with Rubo and Diego leading the back line, and in Torremolinos the first local goal also came from a penalty for a handball by the Castellón player; the other two Andalusian goals arrived only after both defenders were replaced by Tachi and Barrachina. The result is six goals conceded in Group 2 of Primera RFEF, making Zaragoza fifth-best defensively, behind Alcorcón (4), Cartagena (4), Jaén (5) and Hércules (5), as Sport reports.