Almería secured passage to the next phase of the Copa del Rey by beating Cultural Leonesa 2-1 at the Reino de León Stadium. Despite not playing, Mozambican left-back Bruno Langa was among the substitutes in a match that was exciting from the opening minutes.
The game started intensely and brought the first goal early on. In the 3rd minute, Melamed Ribaudo took advantage of a defensive error by Cultural Leonesa to open the scoring for Almería. The home team, however, did not let this affect them and equalized in the 18th minute, with Txus Alba finishing off a well-worked move down the left flank.
The game remained balanced for much of the match, with both teams creating opportunities, but it was Almería who demonstrated greater efficiency. In the 84th minute, Léo Baptistão, who had come on as a substitute, scored the decisive goal, taking advantage of a precise cross to beat the opposing goalkeeper.
Almería's coach opted for a cautious strategy, keeping Bruno Langa as a bench option, perhaps to preserve the player for future matches. With this victory, Almería advances in the Copa del Rey, reinforcing its ambition to go far in the competition.
