Second Division - Day 30

Nàstic‘s run of five games without defeat under new coach Juan Merino came to an end after they lost 1-3 to Elche on Friday evening. The visitors went three up with only half an hour on the clock, Fabián beating Reina with a long shot, Djetei turning a Luis Pérez cross in to his own net, and Nino connecting with a Hervías centre to make it three. Manu Barreiro did head one back from a Lobato cross near the end, but the goal came too late to prevent a defeat which could leave the Catalans back in the drop zone by the end of the weekend. Elche though are up to ninth, some five points below the play-off spots. (17.03.17)


The top five teams in the second division all play on Sunday, but sixth placed Getafe failed to take advantage after they were beaten 2-0 by UCAM Murcia on Saturday evening. Góngora gave the locals the lead with an impressive free kick early on, and Jona headed the second from another Góngora free kick shortly before the break. Damián hit the bar for the visitors after the restart, and Fuster went close couple of times, but they couldn’t prevent a third game in a row without a victory. Huesca are now just a point below the Madrid based side after they won 2-1 against struggling Mallorca. All the goals came after the break, Melero firing the locals in to the lead following a corner on the hour mark, but Moutinho appearing to have saved a point for the islanders before Alexander González headed the winning goal in time added on.

Lugo meanwhile stay within two points of Huesca after they beat bottom club Mirandés 2-1. Second half strikes from Jordi Calavera and Joselu put the Galicians two up before Urko Vera headed a late consolation for the visitors. Zaragoza though are now nine points away from the play-off places after they lost 1-2 to Sevilla Atlético in the last match of the evening. Marc Gual headed the visitors into the lead shortly before the break, but Edu García levelled the scores with a quarter of an hour to go, and the youngsters were left with ten men when keeper Ondoa picked up a second yellow card for time wasting. With all three changes made, defender José María Amo went in goal, but Marcelo Silva was also sent off, and in the second minute of injury time Cotán ran through to score a winner which could signal the end for Maño coach Raúl Agné. His side end the day in fifteenth spot, a point above Córdoba, who were held to a 0-0 draw by Numancia in the first match of the afternoon. (18.03.17)


Levante are now ten points clear at the top of the table after they beat Almería 1-0 in Sunday’s mid-day game. Second division top scorer Roger got the only goal from the penalty spot after Nano fouled Postigo in the area some eight minutes before the break, and they held on even though the visitors came back after the restart. It was a first defeat for new coach Luis Miguel Ramís, who tok over from caretaker Fran Fernández this week, and his team stay in next to bottom spot as a result. Later in the evening second placed Girona suffered a bit of a blip when they were beaten 1.2 by third placed Cádiz, although they are still eight points clear of the Andalusians in the table. Ortuño opened the scoring against his old side with a shot from the edge of the area on the quarter hour mark, and Alvaro García added a second some five minutes later. Longo got one back though after the restart with an overhead kick, but although Kiko Olivas and Borja García hit the woodwork, the Catalans couldn’t prevent a defeat which brought to an end a run of eight home wins in a row.

Cádiz themselves have a bit of a gap over the rest though after the three teams below them all lost. Fourth placed Tenerife were beaten beaten 0-1 by Reus, a result which cut short a run of eleven games without defeat for the Canary Islanders. Máyor latched on to Benito’s pass to score the only goal for the Catalans with a quarter of an hour on the clock, handing the locals their first loss in the Heliodoro stadium in over a year. Oviedo too lost 2-0 at Rayo Vallecano in the last match of the weekend to remain level with Tenerife in the table. Ebert converted an early penalty after Alex Moreno was fouled in the area, and Javi Guerro connected with Moreno’s centre to make it two a quarter of an hour in to the second half. It was first win under new manager Michel, and the Madrid based side are now just a point away from escaping the drop zone. Valladolid are back in the running for the play-off places as well though, a 1-2 win at Alcorcón taking them to within two points of the top six. David Navarro gave the locals the lead in the ninth minute following a corner, but Juan Villar scored twice before the break to turn things around, the first on a rapid counter-attack, and the second from the penalty spot after the forward was brought down by Owona in the area. (19.03.17)