Atlètic Lleida's return to Tercera Federación began with a vibrant match against Cornellà. The encounter, considered between two teams aiming for promotion to Segunda Federación, concluded in a 2-2 draw, reflecting the parity and goal-scoring chances seen at the Ramon Farrús.
The home team started strongly, with Jaume Pascual opening the scoring in the first minute with a long pass that he finished with a powerful shot from the right wing. The Lleida side capitalized on Cornellà pushing forward for an equalizer and managed to extend their lead in the 38th minute. Moha collected a rebound from the goalkeeper at the edge of the area and scored into an almost empty net, making it 2-0.
In the second half, Cornellà took control of the game and pinned the home team in their own area. Just as victory seemed assured for Atlètic Lleida, Toni Paredes emerged to equalize the match in just two minutes, scoring in the 86th and 88th minutes. This comeback occurred shortly after Urcan had to leave the field due to injury, replaced by Roger Alcalà.
In added time, Cornellà came very close to securing a winning goal, but the defense of Atlètic Lleida and the crossbar prevented it, confirming the final 2-2 scoreline.
“"We are happy with this result because we faced one of the candidates to be champions. I think in the first half we dominated them; it's true that in the second half they were better and in the end they subjected us and suffocated us in our own area, but it was good to know our competitive level. The team's response might have been a bit weak in the final minutes, but it's normal to lack energy in the first game."
The coach of Atlètic Lleida, Juan Carlos Beltrán, positively assessed the final result, highlighting the team's solidity in the first half and acknowledging the opponent's improvement in the second. Despite the late dip in performance, he considered the match a valuable assessment of the team's competitive level in their season opener.
