Second division - day 4

Atlético Madrid moved back to the top of the second division after a comfortable 0-3 victory at local rivals Leganés. Correa gave them the lead in the first half, following up as the keeper pushed out Aguilera's shot, and Diego Alonso added another before the break, his fourth of the season. Correa got his second of the game from a free kick shortly after half time to take Atlético on to ten points, one above Bernd Schuster's Xerez, who lost 1-0 to Racing Santander. A first half goal from Morán gave Racing their first win of the season and saved Gustavo Benítez's head for now. Cañizares was sent off for the visitors in the second half.

Burgos moved level with Xerez in joint second spot after their third 1-0 victory of the season, this time against Extremadura. Felipe saved an Isailovic penalty in the second half to keep the visitors in the game, but Dani Pendín wrapped things up from a corner with five minutes to go. Oviedo moved up to fourth in the table after coming from behind to beat Jaén 1-3. Rueda had given the locals the lead in the fourth minute, but two goals from youngsters Rubén and Geni and an own goals from Quique Beltran gave them the three points.

The other relegated side Numancia are also in the top half of the table after drawing 0-0 at Badajoz. They have their young keeper Jonathan to thank though, as he was called upon to save a Txutxi penalty near the end. The Soria based side will be glad when the transfer market closes tomorrow, as they have been losing players every week to offers from bigger clubs. The game between Sporting and Albacete also ended goal-less, and both teams are now in midfield. The match ended as a contest when Albacete's Corona got his marching orders in the second half, with the visitors putting up the shutters from then on.

There was a third no-score draw as well between Levante and Murcia in what is becoming once again a low scoring division. This was the dullest of the lot, with the only chance a Gerard header against the bar for the Valencia based side. Funnily the game that was expected to end without goals between Eibar and Nástic ended 3-1 to the home side. Neither side had scored in 270 minutes of football, but after Aldeondo headed Eibar into the lead, Deus replied for the visitors before half time. Julen's brother Félix Guerrero re-established the lead from the penalty spot a minute later, and Garitano got a third for the Basque side before the match ended. The Catalans stay in bottom place with one point from four games, level with Poli Ejido. (16.09.01)

The two games which started the weekend both ended in the same way and with the same result, 2-1. The Andalucian derby between Recreativo Huelva and Córdoba was in injury time and heading inexorably for a draw when the home side played a free kick into the box. But Córdoba's usually reliable keeper Jauregui failed to hold on to it and Raúl Molina bundled it back into the goal for the winner. Earlier in the half Soto had equalised for the visitors minutes after Benítez had opened the scoring.

At exactly the same time that Molina was scoring in Huelva, Fran Nogueira was doing the same for Racing Ferrol against Poli Ejido. His strike was even more dramatic, as Ferrol had only just levelled the scores three minutes before when Pablo scored from the penalty spot. Struggling Ejido had taken the lead early on through Oscar Arpón, and with two minutes to go they had seemed to be heading for a much needed victory. Ferrol move up to second pending Sunday's games.

Salamanca kept up their push for a return to the top flight with a 1-0 victory over Elche. The only goal came from Zegarra an hour in to match, and they hung on to take the three points despite playing with ten men for the last quarter of an hour after new signing Quique Medina got himself sent off. Salamanca move on to seven points, just outside the top three. (15.09.01)