Tenerife 3 - Deportivo 1

Tenerife: Sergio Aragoneses; Javi Venta, Charcos, Lussenhoff, Basavilbaso; Martí; Slovak, Hugo Morales (Bermudo 75'), Iván Ania; Acorán (Antonio Hilgado 52'), Bruno Marioni (Simutenkov 65'). 4-1-3-2. Deportivo: Molina; Scaloni, Donato, Helder (Pandiani 60'), Romero; Duscher (Mauro Silva 75'), Sergio (Djalminha 50'); Víctor, Valerón, Amavisca; Diego Tristán. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Tenerife: Charcos, Slovak, Hugo Morales, Bruno Marioni for Pablo Paz, Bino, Manel, Xisco / Deportivo: No change.

Goals:
1-0. 16. Marioni. First time volley after cross in from Bassavilbaso.
1-1. 40. Víctor. .Turned ball into empty net after pass in from Amavisca.
2-1. 48. Marioni. Fifty yard run from own half rounding keeper to finish off.
3-1. 71. Hugo Morales. From short range after pass in from Slovak.

Leaders Deportivo were surprisingly beaten by relegation candidates Tenerife on Sunday night, although they still headed the table by one point at the end of the weekend. For once there was no competition midweek, and Irureta was able to forget his rotation system and repeat his starting line up for the first time this season. Pepe Mel was missing the suspended Pablo Paz and Spanish under 21 international Xisco, and amongst his four changes he drafted in Hugo Morales and Bruno Marioni, who is facing an enquiry into his Italian passport at the moment. And it was Marioni who did the damage, scoring the opening goal in the fifteenth minute with a first time volley (Tenerife's first goal in four games), and after Víctor had levelled the scores, restoring the lead with a fabulous individualist goal after picking up the ball in his own half.

With his team behind again Irureta threw caution to the winds and brought on Djalminha and Pandiani to join Tristán and Valerón. The tactic almost worked as Tristán fired a shot against the foot of the post, but almost immediately the home side broke away and scored again, Hugo Morales turning the ball in to the empty net from Slovak's cross and revealing a T-shirt dedicated to Diego Maradona, who was celebrating his benefit match in Argentina the same day. Pandiani hit the crossbar in the last few minutes but the victory this time was for the Canary Islanders, taking the pressure off manager Pepe Mel, who would probably have lost his job if his team had lost. They move above Real Sociedad to eighteenth, only just behind Málaga on goal average.