FC L'escala came out on top of a five-goal thriller on Sunday evening, beating FC Martinenc 3-2 at their home ground in Group 5 of the Spanish Tercera División RFEF. The hosts twice had their lead trimmed but never surrendered control of a match they led from the 14th minute, and the three points lift them into a healthier position in a fiercely congested mid-table cluster.

Match Overview

• Fixture: FC L'escala vs FC Martinenc
• Competition: Spanish Tercera División RFEF, Group 5
• Date & kick-off: Sunday 27 September 2026, 18:00
• Final score: FC L'escala 3-2 FC Martinenc

It was a game that promised entertainment from the opening exchanges and delivered on it. L'escala, playing with the narrow width of their home pitch and the breeze at their backs, pressed high from the first whistle and forced Martinenc into a string of hurried clearances. The visitors, technically tidy in possession but vulnerable when turned, matched their hosts goal for goal until the final quarter of an hour, when L'escala's greater physical durability finally told. Both sides finished the night with familiar concerns — one about conceding too easily, the other about creating enough — but only one left with a smile.

Key Moments

The breakthrough arrived on 14 minutes. A short corner routine caught Martinenc half-asleep, and when the second ball was clipped back into the six-yard area, Pau Ferrer arrived to stab it home from close range for 1-0. The lead lasted barely ten minutes. A loose pass in midfield was punished ruthlessly, and the visiting forward Ousmane Diallo raced clear to level at 1-1 with a composed finish past the onrushing goalkeeper.

L'escala restored their advantage just before the interval in spectacular fashion. Guillem Roca collected the ball 25 yards from goal, took a touch to set himself and bent a left-footed strike into the top corner. It was the kind of goal that changes the mood in a dressing room, and the hosts came out after the break with renewed conviction.

Their third arrived shortly after the hour mark. A driving run from deep by Adrià Soler ended with a low cross that was only half-cleared, and Iván Nogueira pounced from the edge of the box to make it 3-1. Martinenc refused to fold and pulled one back with a header from a well-flighted free kick 12 minutes from time, setting up a tense finale in which L'escala defended their box with bodies and nerve in equal measure.

Tactical Story

L'escala's shape — a compact 4-2-3-1 that became a 4-4-2 without the ball — was designed to win the ball high and attack quickly. Their first and third goals came directly from that principle. The trade-off was visible too: with both full-backs pushed on, Martinenc found joy repeatedly in the channels, and their equaliser was a direct product of L'escala's aggressive line.

Martinenc, by contrast, were patient in build-up and dangerous from set pieces, but they struggled to sustain pressure once L'escala's midfield dropped 10 yards deeper in the final 20 minutes. Their substitutes added energy but not incision, and the visitors finished the match with plenty of the ball and little of the penalty area.

Standout Players

Roca's strike was the moment of the match and underlined why he is one of the more watchable midfielders in the group. Ferrer's movement in the box created constant problems, while Soler's lung-busting carry for the third goal was the defining act of the second half. For Martinenc, Diallo was a persistent threat and took his goal with real quality.

What It Means

Three points from a home fixture of this kind are worth more than the arithmetic suggests. In a group where the difference between a promotion play-off push and a relegation scrap is often a handful of points, L'escala's ability to win tight, high-scoring games at home is a genuine asset. Martinenc, meanwhile, will take encouragement from their attacking output and frustration from a defensive record that keeps costing them results on the road.