published: thursday 16 september 2010, 22.50cet getafe cf 2-1 odense bk
substitute pedro ríos converted a stunning free-kick nine minutes from time as getafe brushed off a dismal first-half display in style.
substitute pedro ríos struck a stunning free-kick nine minutes from time as getafe cf brushed off a dismal first-half display to beat odense bk 2-1.
coach míchel had it all to do when his players traipsed off at the interval moments after hans henrik andreasen had capped a miserable opening period for getafe by scoring for ob with a deflected free-kick. yet whatever he said during his 15 minutes had the desired effect. within six minutes of the restart javier arizmendi equalised, paving the way for ríos's decisive cameo.
getafe came into the group h opener on the back of a rousing 4-0 triumph over levante ud, but there was little uplifting about their first-half showing at the coliseum alfonso pérez. an early injury to captain jaime gavilán hardly helped their flow, but the easy start to los azulones's uefa europa league campaign many predicted never materialised: it was 35 minutes before adrián colunga forced a save from roy carroll.
ınstead it was ob who went into the recess in front after andreasen's driven set piece deflected off the wall on to arizmendi and into the net. the timing could have deflated an already flat getafe but míchel's men emerged from the interval renewed. carroll did brilliantly to adjust and block javier casquero's diverted effort with his feet, but with the danish outfit pinned inside their own box, he could do nothing when arizmendi rose to nod in after cata díaz headed mané's ball back across goal.
and still the blue shirts surged forward. had colunga been at his best the match would have been out of sight. ınstead it was left to ríos who, eight minutes after coming on, curled an unstoppable effort into the top right corner of carroll's net.
