UD Las Palmas suffered their second consecutive defeat, losing 3-2 away to SD Eibar. Rubén De la Barrera's side now sit 11th in LaLiga Hypermotion with 10 points from seven games, nine points behind leaders Castellón.

The match started in the worst possible way for the visitors. Within nine minutes, the home side were 2-0 up thanks to goals from Ander Madariaga and Álvaro Rodríguez. Goalkeeper José Antonio Caro kept his team in the game with several notable saves in the first half, but admitted he still has doubts in his distribution.

A reaction came in the 24th minute when Valentín Pezzolesi, set up by Iván Jaime, scored his first goal for the senior team. That hope was short-lived, however. Javi Martón restored Eibar's two-goal cushion just after the hour mark. A late strike from Jefté Betancor in the 85th minute, assisted by Elías Romero, offered a brief glimpse of a comeback before Iñaki González's stoppage-time red card extinguished it.

Defensive frailties

Defence was the main weakness. Enzo Loiodice, deployed as an improvised left-back, had a very difficult game. Giovanni Bonfanti also showed vulnerabilities on his flank. The return of Álex Suárez from injury, who played 72 minutes, was not enough to solidify a back line that has now conceded 11 goals this season.

In midfield, Kirian Rodríguez grew into the game and showed he has overcome recent health concerns. Taisei Miyashiro, the team's top scorer this campaign with two goals, was too inconspicuous at Ipurua.

Manager Rubén De la Barrera expressed frustration with the limitations on substitutions. "I wish we could make more changes," the coach said, also regretting not being able to give more minutes to Andrés Rodríguez, who showed his pace in a brief cameo.

The team's form has dipped, with just one win in their last five matches, alongside three defeats and a draw.

Next up is a home game on 4 October against Real Valladolid, a direct rival currently in 16th place. It's a key fixture to try and stop the rot and pick up points ahead of the next matchday. With important absentees like Enrique Clemente, the squad must quickly find defensive solutions to climb the table.

First reported at as.com