Second Division - Day 19

One match on Friday in the second division, Elche winning 0-1 at Reus to move to within a point of their hosts in the table. Heavy rain made play difficult, but just a minute in to the second half Guillermo picked up an assist from Edu Albácar to score what was to prove the only goal of the game. Reus stay in the play-off spots however pending the rest of the weekend fixtures. (16.12.16)

Second placed Girona closed to within four points of leaders Levante after coming from behind to beat regional neighbours Nàstic 4-2 on Saturday evening. Uche put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot after Alcalá fouled Juan Delgado in the area midway through the first half, and although Longo connected with Aday’s cross to level the scores soon afterwards, Sergio Tejera restored the lead with a well struck free kick. However half time substitute Juanpe made it all square soon after the restart, and with twenty minutes to go Sandaza converted a second penalty after Suzuki brought down Portu. Five minutes later Delgado was sent off for insulting the referee, and Christian Herrera scored a fourth before Stephane Emaná picked up a second booking to leave Nàstic with nine men. They go in to the winter break two points adrift at the bottom of the table, and coach Vicente Moreno could be the next to go. Getafe stay two points behind Girona in third spot after they beat Valladolid 3-1 earlier in the evening, their fifth game in a row without defeat. All the goals came after the break, Paúl Anton heading the opener and Dani Pacheco adding a second for the locals, both from Damián Suárez assists. Juan Villar got one back for the visitors with a quarter of an hour to go, but Jorge Molina struck again a minute later to make sure of the three points.

Lugo and Huesca remain in fourth and fifth places respectively, although they lost ground on the teams above them after cancelling each other out in a 1-1 draw. Gonzalo Melero headed the visitors in to the lead from a Vadillo corner with just over a quarter of an hour gone, but Joselu equalized form the penalty spot after Akapo was sent off for bringing down Pablo Caballero in the area with eight minutes to go. Only four points separate eleven teams though, with Tenerife moving up in to the top half of the table after a 2-0 victory over Alcorcón. Amath connected with a Suso cross to open the scoring midway through the first half, and Aarón Ñíguez added the second after Amath set him up with two minutes to go. The visitors ended with ten men after Diéguez was sent off in injury time. The Canary Islanders are now level with Oviedo, who drop down the table after losing 1-2 to an improving Córdoba, themselves now just a point below their hosts in the rankings. Javi Galán headed the opener for the Andalusians in the twentieth minute, and Borja Domínguez made it two at the start of the second half. Linares connected with Nando’s pass to pull one back near the end, but the goal came too late to change the result. (17.12.16)

Leaders Levante played a rescheduled match last Wednesday, but as bad luck would have it their Sunday game against UCAM Murcia was also postponed due to a heavily waterlogged pitch following heavy rain in the region. It was a set-back as well for Francisco Rodríguez, who was hoping to take charge at UCAM for the first time after Salmerón was fired a few days ago. Cádiz took advantage to move up to fourth place after a 4-1 victory over Sevilla Atlético, their third win in a row. Ortuño opened the scoring on the quarter hour mark with an individualist effort, and Sakaré headed the second from an Álvaro García cross early on in the third mark. Soon afterwards Nico Hidalgo got the third after an effort from Ortuño was blocked, and although Cotán got one back, Salvi rounded things off in injury time. Zaragoza finish the calendar year just outside of the play-off spots though after they won 1-2 at Rayo Vallecano, All the goals came in the last twenty minutes or so, the visitors taking the lead when local keeper Gazzaniga embarrassingly failed to connect with the ball when trying to clear an Alex Moreno back pass. Ángel made it two from the penalty spot after the referee ruled that Quini had fouled Xiscu in the area, and Javi Guerra got a late consolation with a second penalty after Silva was shown a second yellow card for bringing him down in the area.

Rayo go in to the winter break just a point above the relegation spots, a point below Numancia, who climbed out of the bottom four after beating fellow strugglers Mallorca 3-1. Pablo Valcarce headed the opener on the quarter hour mark from a Marc Mateu cross, but Juan Rodríguez equalized just three minutes later after Aitor Fernández kept out a Raíllo header. Manu del Moral scored twice however ewither side of the break, and any chance the islanders had of coming back ended when Brandón was sent off for a second bookable offence on the stroke of half time. Mirandés are also out of the relegation zone after they won 2-1 against Almería, the result leaving the Andalusians a point below their hosts in the table. Quique latched on to a Juanjo pass to put the visitors in front just a minute after the restart, but Alex Ortíz made it all square a few minutes later, and Maikel Mesa headed in a free kick with twenty minutes to go to give Claudio Barragán a victory in his first game in charge at the Anduva stadium. (18.12.16)

Levante recovered their seven point lead at the top of the table after beating next to bottom club UCAM Murcia in a match which was postponed from three weeks ago due to a waterlogged pitch. Roger intercepted a bad back pass by Imaz to open the scoring midway through the first half, and Jefferson Lerma headed the second from Campaña’s corner some twenty minutes after the restart. (11.01.17)