Villarreal 2 - Tenerife 1

Villarreal: López Vallejo; Xavi Roca (Galván 72'), Ballesteros, Unai, Arruabarrena; Amor, Cagna; Jorge López (Xavi Gracia 90'), Víctor, Guayre (Calleja 55'); Pizzi. 4-2-3-1.
Tenerife: Sergio Aragoneses; Manel, David Charcos, Lussenhoff, Basavilbaso; Bassedas, Martí (Jaime 80'), Bino, Iván Ania (Xisco 60'); Bicho Fuertes, Bruno Marioni (Simutenkov 68'). 4-4-2.

Team changes: Villarreal: Xavi Roca, Unai, Amor, Víctor for Galván, Berruet, Quique Alvarez, Galca / Tenerife: Basavilbaso for Bermudo.

Goals:
1-0. 43. Jorge López. Volleyed past keeper after Víctor laid ball in from right.
2-0. 44. Pizzi. Beat offside trap and lifted ball over advancing keeper.
2-1. 52. Marioni. Free kick from right of area which bounced into goal.

Villarreal recorded their first victory in eight games, beating Tenerife 2-1 to take the pressure off manager Víctor Muñoz. The East coast side had been approaching the relegation zone, and a defeat could even have taken them down into the bottom three. Muñoz decided to put out an attacking side, with three natural forwards Pizzi, Víctor and Guayre in the starting line up. Víctor in particular was very active in the first half, and Aragoneses had to be at his best to stop him more than once. The frustration started to show as the half wore on, but then the home side scored twice within a minute to go in at the break two up, Jorge López opening the scoring from Víctor's cross, and Pizzi getting his first for the club (excluding his own goal last week) seconds later.

Villarreal sat back too much though in the second half, and Marioni, playing with a face mask after an operation on a broken nose, got a goal back with a floated free kick which bounced slowly past everyone and in to the net. Víctor Muñoz had asked the powers that be to bring him luck in this game, and his prayers were answered when Unai and then Galván scrambled shots off the line and Charcos hit a post near the end. It was an unconvincing performance, but enough to keep the wolves from the door and give his side their first victory since Palermo picked up his injury. Defeats for Rayo and Real Sociedad Tenerife mean that Tenerife stay in the relegation zone in eighteenth place, but they are now four points adrift from the teams above them.