First Division - Day 9

Sporting Gijón 3 - Numancia 1

Sporting: Cuéllar; Sastre, Gerard, Neru, Canella; Matabuena, Camacho; Luis Morán (Barral 63'), Carmelo (Kike Mateo 17'), Diego Castro; Bilic (Michel 80'). 4-2-3-1.
Numancia: Juan Pablo; Juanra, Pavón, Boris, Domingo Cisma; Nagore; Mario Martínez (Quero 67'), Juan Carlos Moreno (Bellvis 72'), Barkero, Alvaro Antón; Goiria (Gorka Brit 60'). 4-1-4-1.

Team changes: Sporting: Matabuena, Bilic for Michel, Barral / Numancia: No change.

Goals:
0-1. 20. Goiria. Ran on to Nagore's lofted pass and steered shot inside near post.
1-1. 33. Luis Morán. Headed down in to net after Boris hooked ball off line.
2-1. 65. Bilic. Got ahead of Juan Pablo to head Matabuena's headed pass into net.
3-1. 76. Bilic (penalty). After Pavón stopped ball with his arm lying on ground.

Yellow cards: Nagore 46', Barkero 47', Gerard 55', Cisma 65', Sastre 70', Quero 80'.

Sporting Gijón moved up safely to mid-table after a 3-1 win over Numancia, their fifth victory in a row. Manuel Preciado's side beat their opponents in the cup only four days ago, and although they fell behind in the twentieth minute to a Goiria strike, Luis Morán brought them back level after Boris had hooked a Matabuena header off the line, the forward heading the ball back in to the net.

Bilic rattled the crossbar with a free kick just before half time, and fired another long free kick over the bar at the start of the second half. Cuéllar saved from an Alvaro Antón header at the other end, but Bilic reacted quicker than anyone after Matabuena guided a looping header in to the area soon afterwards, getting in front of a torpid Juan Pablo to put the home side in front.

With a quarter of an hour to go Sporting were awarded a penalty after Pavón cut out the ball with his arm whilst lying on the ground, and Bilic converted the spot kick for his second of the night. And although Cuéllar had to save from substitute Gorka Brit after that, Bilic and Barral both came close to increasing the lead.