Second division, week 40

More excitement in the second division on Sunday, with Numancia running out 3-1 winners over Alavés to move back up into the promotion spots. An early own goal from Téllez started them off, with Juan Carlos Moreno and Pineda getting two more after their break and Rubén Navarro scoring one in between for the visitors. Sporting Gijón made it a four-horse race for the two remaining promotion spots later in the evening with a 2-0 win over Cádiz, although they like Alavés will have to hope for a slip-up by Getafe or Numancia to win through.

A 3-2 win by Leganés over Algeciras at midday meant that Las Palmas are definitely relegated to the second division B. Rayo Vallecano kept their hopes of survival alive though with a 2-0 win over Córdoba, who now find themselves down in the bottom four as a result. Córdoba's defeat was a relief for several sides, including Elche, whose 2-0 victory over Recreativo takes them safe for another year. Six teams are not out of the woods yet though, including Almería, who are only three points away from the drop zone after losing 2-0 at Tenerife.

Some surprises in the promotion play-offs this weekend, with none of the four group leaders able to win. Lleida and Pontevedra were held to scoreless draws at home by Playas Jandía and Badajoz, and Racing Ferrol and Ourense were beaten 1-0 and 2-1 by Castellón and Lanzarote respectively. Real Madrid B also picked up their first points with an emphatic 4-0 win over Nàstic, and Lorca lost 1-2 at home to Mirandés thanks to a controversial last minute penalty. (06.06.04)

Levante won promotion to the first division for the first time in over 40 years after they came from a goal down to beat Xerez 1-2 on Saturday evening. A strike from Reggi and a Rivera penalty in the last half hour were enough to take them five points clear at the top of the table, and with Numancia and Alavés due to play on Sunday, they are now certain of finishing in the top three. Getafe moved up to second pending Sunday's game after a 1-2 win over Ciudad Murcia, and they too are looking good for a first ever appearance in the top flight. Substitute Miguel Angel was the match winner once again late on.

Drama down at the bottom though, where Las Palmas are all but mathematically down after losing 1-0 to relegation rivals Poli Ejido. The Andalucians have caught up with Ciudad and are only a point behind Salamanca, who are still not out of trouble after drawing 1-1 at Terrassa. Málaga B stay a point above Salamanca after a thrilling 3-3 draw at Eibar, where local manager Amorrortu was in charge for the last time before taking over at Real Sociedad. The results leave Leganés down in the bottom four and also puts pressure on Córdoba, who visit Rayo Vallecano in an all or nothing match on Sunday evening.

Two of the promotion play-off games were brought forward to Saturday, with Celta B drawing 4-4 in a high scoring match with Cultural Leonesa in group A, and two other reserve sides Sevilla B and Atlético B once again cancelling each other out in a 0-0 draw in their group C fixture. (05.06.04)