If you are not a member yet, you can sign up here

News Archive

Match round-up - First Division, Day 13

A late goal by Kalkuta gave Rayo Vallecano a 0-1 win at Almería in this week’s Monday night game, a result which took the visitors up to the top half of the table, but left their hosts just above the drop zone having only picked up one point from their last six games. Ex Rayo keeper Rubén had to save from Licá early on, but otherwise the chances fell to the locals before the break, Zongo firing a shot over the top, and Hemed shooting wide with the goal at his mercy. Thievy saw his effort go just wide of the post after the interval, but Rubén had to be at his best to keep out Kalkuta, and Tito struck another long shot just wide of the mark soon afterwards. With four minutes to go however Manucho headed a long clearance on for Alberto Bueno to swing a centre across goal, and Kalkuta volleyed the ball in to the roof of the net from the far post to give his side a second victory in a row. (01.12.14)

Barcelona hold on to second place, still two points behind leaders Real Madrid, after a last minute 0-1 win at Valencia on Sunday evening. Both teams had chances throughout the game, Claudio Bravo having to keep out Rodrigo early on and Diego Alves saving from Luis Suárez at the other end soon afterwards. The local keeper made another stop from Suárez a few minutes later, and André Gomes and Negredo went close a couple of times either side of half time. Early in the second half Piqué had to clear off the line from Rodrigo, and Suárez got the ball in the net only for the strike to be ruled out for a non-existent offside. Bravo had to pull off first class saves from Feghouli and Negredo however when both got free on goal, but with a draw seemingly on the cards Alves could only push out Neymar’s header from a Messi cross, and Busquets was on hand to fire home the winner.

Earlier in the day Atlético Madrid had momentarily overtaken Barça following a comfortable 2-0 victory against Deportivo. Mandzukic headed an early chance against the upright and Sidnei had to head an inswinging Koke corner off the line before Saúl Ñíguez opened the scoring, heading the ball in on the far post after Mandzukic nodded on another Koke corner shortly before the break. ,Ten minutes in to the second half Arda Turan made it two with a shot which took a deflection off a defender after yet another corner back out to him, and Saúl, Raúl Jiménez, Cerci and Cristian Rodríguez all had chances to increase the lead after that. Local keeper Moyà was only troubled by a long shot from Sidnei near the end, and the defeat leaves Depor down in the relegation zone for another week. The match was overshadowed however by fighting between radical groups of so-called supporters during the morning which resulted in the violent death of a 43 year old “ultra” from La Coruña, who was beaten and thrown in the Manzanares River, and who died later in hospital.

Sevilla took advantage of Valencia’s defeat to move above the Ches to fourth after thrashing regional rivals Granada 5-1. Bacca hit the post and had a penalty appeal turned down before he took advantage of a hesitant defence to open the scoring midway through the first half. El-Arabi levelled it from the penalty spot shortly before the break after M’bia handled in the area, but Banega restored the lead with a low shot after his first volley came back off the bar, and Bacca got his second of the evening a few minutes later after Reyes set him up. With the game won Emery brought on Gameiro for the last ten minutes, and the French striker crossed in for M’bia to head the fourth, and then headed in a centre from Vitolo to make it five in injury time.

Villarreal meanwhile are up to sixth after they won 0-2 at bottom club Córdoba. Vietto picked up an assist by Cheryshev to beat Juan Carlos with a shot on the turn, putting the visitors ahead midway through the first half. Just a minute later Asenjo had to be on his toes to keep out Ghilas, and with the first half coming to a close Abel Gómez fired a long shot over the bar. Juan Carlos saved from Jonathan Dos Santos after the restart and Bruno also struck a shot wide of the mark, with Fede Cartabia responding with a good run which was eventually closed down by Asenjo. With twenty minutes to go however Uche got a foot to a Jonathan corner on the near side of goal, and the ball bounced on past the surprised keeper for Villarreal’s second. Córdoba had still not won a single match this season, and their angry fans directed their anger at the directors’ box after the match ended. (30.11.14)

With the four teams below them all playing on Sunday, Real Madrid opened up a five point gap at the top of the table after beating sixth placed Málaga 1-2 on Saturday evening. Ancelotti’s side were going for a club record 16th win in a row, and Kameni pulled off a brilliant save from Cristiano Ronaldo before Benzema gave them the lead following a good run by Ronaldo with just under twenty minutes gone. Casillas had already had to save a header from Santa Cruz however, and the locals hit the woodwork twice before the break, the first a shot from Darder which Casillas dropped against the upright, and the second a Duda free kick which bounced off the bar. After the restart Bale and Samu Castillejo had penalty appeals turned down, and Kameni made further first class saves from Isco and Ronaldo. Santa Cruz headed over the bar and Casillas had to keep out Castillejo at the other end, but with seven minutes to go Ronaldo headed on a long clearance by Marcelo for Bale to run on and score the second. Soon afterwards the visitors were left with ten men when Isco picked up a second booking, Casillas keeping out the resulting Juanpi free kick, but although Santa Cruz headed one back in injury time from Boka’s cross, the goal came too late to change the result.

Celta stay in seventh spot after they lost 0-1 to Eibar later in the evening. The Galicians had most of the play, Irureta having to save from Larrivey and Nolito, and Krohn-Dehli and Orellana firing shots just wide in the first half hour. Sergio Alvarez had to keep out Manu del Moral after that though, and just a couple of minutes later the ex Atlético Madrid, Getafe and Sevilla forward controlled a lofted pass from Arruabarrena to steer a low shot wide of the keeper. The Basque side gave up on attack in the second half however, but Irureta pulled off further saves from Larrivey, Augusto Fernández and Charles, and with the game coming to a close Boateng deflected a Krohn-Dehli shot on to the crossbar. Once again Eibar are proving that they are a difficult team to beat, and the Galicians stay outside of the European spots having only picked up one point since that epic win in the Nou Camp four games ago.

Athletic Bilbao continued their return to form with a 1-2 victory at Getafe, and they move up to ninth pending Sunday’s games after picking up 14 points from their last six matches. Aduríz went close a couple of times before San José headed in Beñat’s corner a few minutes before the break, the defender’s second goal in four days after scoring the winner at Shakhtar Donestsk in the Champions League. With Pedro León finally allowed to play, the locals came out strongly after the interval though, Iraizoz having to save from Babá, Escudero and Lafita. Beñat appeared to have wrapped things up however when he curled a free kick inside the far post in the last minute of normal time, but Lafita headed in Hinestroza’s cross a minute later, and only a good save by Iraizoz prevented Velázquez from heading the equalizer from a corner in the dying seconds.

Espanyol clocked up their first win in six games, the Catalans coming from behind to beat Levante 2-1 in a rainy Barcelona. All the goals came in the first half, Morales giving the visitors the lead after Kiko Casilla could only block a David Navarro volley from an Ivanschitz corner. Caicedo levelled the scores soon afterwards though, firing a low shot past Diego Mariño after a defender blocked a previous shot from Lucas Vázquez, and although Víctor Casadesús had a strike ruled out for the closest of offsides, Sergio García put the locals in front with an angled shot past the keeper after Vázquez slotted the ball through to him. After the interval conditions got worse as the rain intensified, but Ivanschitz, Morales and Navarro all came close to saving a point for the visitors before the final whistle. (29.11.14)

Real Sociedad moved away from the danger zone after a 3-0 victory over Elche on Friday evening, a first win for new coach David Moyes on his debut in the Anoeta stadium. Both teams started the game level on ten points, the visitors in next to bottom spot and their hosts three places above them in the table. However the Basque struck early on, Carlos Vela heading in a Carlos Martínez cross in only the third minute, and half an hour later the Mexican forward got his second of the evening after running on to a long pass from Xabi Prieto. Only a couple of long shots by Jonathas and Damián Suárez gave Zubikarai any work for to do before the break, and Vela and De la Bella tested Tyton a couple of times either side of half time before Vela completed his hat-trick, poking a shot through the legs of Lombán and in off the far post after Martínez put him through. Four points in his first two games for Moyes, and it appears he is already starting to make his presence felt. (28.11.14)