Imanol de la Sota's squad struggled to challenge the victory of the El Bierzo team, suffering their second consecutive away defeat from Lasesarre, following a loss two weeks prior against another direct rival, Pontevedra.
The yellow-and-black team can afford few more slip-ups if they aim for the promotion play-off phase in the remaining five matchdays. The competition is fierce, with nine teams within a seven-point range and eleven teams within eight points.
It was a very intense match, with a lot of wear and tear but few chances, and the one who scored won.
Ponferradina first warned with a long-range shot from Andoni López, and scored just after the first quarter of an hour with another distant strike. Esquerdo, with a precise shot from thirty meters, surprised Campos and scored what would be the decisive goal. Barakaldo failed to find a response, with only a shot from Pedernales over the crossbar being their clearest attempt after the home goal.
Equality persisted in the second half, with the Bierzo team creating more danger in the initial minutes. Barakaldo struggled significantly, only approaching Jiménez's area in the final stretch. A cross from Eric Pérez that Pedernales headed high and a shot from Eric himself that went wide were insufficient for Barakaldo to achieve a better result at El Toralín, especially as Ponferradina also overtook them in the standings.
