Granada CF 0 - 0 Racing de Santander - No surprise at Granada stalemate

Posted Sunday, November 06, 2011 by PA

Granada and Racing Santander demonstrated why they have only scored four and six goals respectively in 11 league games this season in a poor goalless draw at Los Carmenes.

The hosts did most of the attacking throughout the 90 minutes but lacked the finishing touch on a number of occasions.

Alexandre Geijo missed two good openings either side of the break and was also unlucky to see a well-struck shot from a narrow angle strike the outside of the post with eight minutes remaining.

Racing by contrast were much happier sitting deep and as a result produced very little in the final third. Alexandros Tziolis' long-range shot, which was parried away by Roberto, was their best effort.

The visitors ended the game with 10 men as Ariel Nahuelpan was sent off for an elbow on Diego Mainz with three minutes to go.

Both sides had won on their last outing, but any confidence those victories had instilled was not on show in a disjointed first period.

Geijo could not make the desired contact to a teasing Dani Benitez cross on nine minutes and Ikechukwu Uche's long-range effort eight minutes later was the only time either goalkeeper was called into action before the break.

Things improved slightly after half-time and Geijo should have opened the scoring but he somehow headed wide when unmarked only six yards out.

Tziolis then tested Roberto with a fierce strike from 25 yards but the keeper, who had starred in the 2-1 win over Sevilla earlier in the week, comfortably palmed the ball to safety.

Odion Ighalo had replaced Uche early in the second half and he almost made an immediate impact as he stole in at the near post to meet another pinpoint Benitez cross, but his header lacked the sufficient power to beat Tono Ramirez.

The Racing keeper was more seriously tested by a controlled volley from Abel Gomez with 14 minutes remaining as he beat the ball down to take the sting out of the shot, before collecting at the second attempt.

Six minutes later Ighalo sent Geijo free down the left and this time his effort did have sufficient force to beat Tono but came back off the outside of the post.

Nahuelpan had also come on as a substitute but was only on the field for 17 minutes before his raised arm connected with Mainz as they jumped for the ball and he was somewhat harshly dismissed.

The draw means both sides move on to nine points with Racing in 17th, one position ahead of their opponents, thanks a superior goal difference.