Tabatadze Strikes Late as Cádiz Edges Huesca to Climb Back Into Promotion Picture

CÁDIZ, Spain — For 70 minutes at Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla, Cádiz huffed and puffed against a resilient Huesca side that had no intention of making things easy. Then Iuri Tabatadze, the Georgian forward who has become something of a talisman for the home side, finally found the breakthrough that mattered.

His 70th-minute strike was all Cádiz needed to secure a 1-0 victory Sunday, a result that not only ended their two-match winless streak but also lifted them back into third place in the Segunda División standings with 15 points from eight matches. For Huesca, meanwhile, the loss represents a frustrating conclusion to a week that had shown promise after their midweek victory over Burgos.

The match unfolded as a tactical chess match for much of the afternoon, with both sides seemingly scarred by recent disappointments. Cádiz entered the fixture reeling from a deflating 1-0 defeat at Las Palmas six days earlier, while Huesca arrived with the memory of that 4-0 thrashing at Deportivo La Coruña still fresh enough to inspire caution.

That wariness manifested in a cagey first half where clear chances remained frustratingly elusive. Cádiz dominated possession but struggled to unlock a Huesca defense that had clearly learned harsh lessons from their recent drubbing in La Coruña. The visitors, sitting seventh with 13 points, appeared content to absorb pressure and search for opportunities on the counter—a strategy that nearly paid dividends on several occasions before halftime.

The breakthrough, when it finally arrived, came from a player who has developed a knack for delivering in crucial moments. Tabatadze, who scored a memorable brace in Cádiz's wild 3-3 draw at Real Sociedad II last month, showed the same composure to beat Huesca goalkeeper and secure three vital points for the home side. The goal was his third in the last five matches, underlining his growing importance to a team with genuine promotion aspirations.

What made the strike particularly significant was the context surrounding it. Cádiz had managed just one goal in their previous three matches—a concerning drought for a side hoping to return to La Liga after relegation. The clean sheet was equally important, representing only the second time in their last five outings that they've prevented the opposition from scoring.

For Huesca, the defeat stings precisely because it followed the template of their recent struggles. Their last five matches tell a tale of inconsistency: victories over Burgos and Malaga sandwiched between losses to Granada, Deportivo, and AD Ceuta FC. The inability to build momentum has left them hovering in mid-table mediocrity when their quality suggests they should be pushing for automatic promotion alongside the league's elite.

The match statistics painted a picture of Cádiz's dominance, but numbers rarely capture the tension that permeated the Nuevo Mirandilla throughout the afternoon. Every misplaced pass, every squandered opportunity seemed to carry added weight for a home crowd that has endured its share of disappointment in recent weeks. The scoreless draw against AD Ceuta FC two weeks ago particularly rankled—the kind of result that can derail promotion campaigns before they truly begin.

Now, with this victory secured, Cádiz finds itself just two points behind the automatic promotion places with more than three-quarters of the season remaining. The cushion between them and seventh-place Huesca has shrunk to just two points, emphasizing how compressed the Segunda División table remains at this early stage.

The challenge for manager and players alike will be building on this result rather than treating it as an isolated triumph. Their upcoming fixtures will test whether they possess the consistency required for a sustained promotion push or if they'll continue oscillating between encouraging victories and deflating setbacks.

For Tabatadze, the goal extends his impressive form and cements his status as the player Cádiz turns to when inspiration proves scarce. In a division where goals often arrive in bunches or not at all, his ability to deliver in tight matches could prove the difference between promotion and disappointment.

Huesca, meanwhile, must return home and confront uncomfortable questions about their inability to maintain momentum. With talent throughout their squad, they possess the quality to challenge at the top of the table. Whether they possess the mental fortitude to string together the kind of winning run that transforms good teams into great ones remains the unanswered question hovering over their season.