Sergio Herrera was the hero for Osasuna, making a series of stunning saves to secure a 0-0 draw at Elche in La Liga on Friday.
Despite dominating possession and creating the majority of chances, Elche were repeatedly denied by Herrera, who used every part of his body, including his hands, legs, and reflexes, to keep the hosts at bay, notably making two crucial stops in the closing moments.
“That’s football, these things happen,” said Elche coach Eder Sarabia. “We were clearly superior and played brilliantly, but sometimes the result doesn’t reflect the performance. This could easily have been a 4-0 or 4-1 win for us.”
Elche showed a marked improvement from their three consecutive league defeats, displaying sharpness and creativity that belied their position six spots below Osasuna.
However, Herrera’s heroics meant Osasuna came away with a single point, moving them up two places to 13th in the standings.
The winless streak now stretches to seven games, leaving them level on points with Sevilla and Alavés.
Osasuna themselves remain in ninth, while the gap between Athletic Bilbao in 10th and relegation-threatened Rayo Vallecano is just six points, highlighting the tight competition in the mid-table.
