Villarreal 2 - Las Palmas 1

Villarreal: López Vallejo; Xavi Roca, Berruet, Quique Alvarez, Arruabarrena; Schelotto (Galván 82'), Jorge López, Jaime, Calleja (Escoda 90'); Víctor (Craioveanu 82'), Palermo. 4-4-2.
Las Palmas: Nacho González; Angel, Alvaro, Schurrer (Olias 57'), Paqui, Jarni; Ramón, Samways, Jorge (Pablo Lago 65'); Turdó (Orlando 70'), Eloy. 5-3-2.

Team changes: Villarreal: Schelotto, Jaime, Palermo for Amor, Javier Gracia, Craioveanu / Las Palmas: Jorge, Turdó for Josico, Guayre.

Goals:
1-0. 32. Víctor. On near post after centre from Schelotto from right.
2-0. 49. Jorge López. From close up after Víctor crossed from left of area.
2-1. 51. Schurrer. Controlled high pass from Samways and beat keeper.

Villarreal kept up their push for a place in Europe next season with a harder than expected victory over Las Palmas. The result was in doubt until the last kick of the match, with substitute Orlando hitting a post and Eloy forcing a finger tip save out of López Vallejo in stoppage time as Las Palmas pushed to salvage a point. In the end though the three points all went to the home side, keeping them in seventh place only a point behind Celta with five games to go. Villarreal's manager Víctor Muñoz had to restructure his midfield for this game, with Amor and Gracia suspended and Cagna ruled out to the end of the season, and club captain Jaime came in for a first start this season, with Schelotto being given another chance. The man who joined the club with Schelotto, the flamboyant striker Martín Palermo, returned to the side after a one match ban despite the good performance of Craioveanu last week, with some fans now questioning his continuity in the side. The Las Palmas manager Sergio Kresic was still smarting over the 1-5 defeat earlier in the season, and with Guayre suspended and Josico injured, Jorge and Turdó returned to the starting line up.

After a kick-off-of-honour by local 5-a-side club Playas Castellón, recently crowned Champions of Europe, the game began, with Villarreal on top in the early minutes. Schelotto and Calleja found plenty of space down their wings, and Schelotto was unlucky to see his shot well saved by Nacho González. Víctor had been causing problems for the Las Palmas keeper, and he finally got his just reward shortly after the half hour mark, getting ahead of everyone to meet Schelotto's cross after Jorge López had won the ball back in midfield. It was the striker's thirteenth of the season, and sent a message to Camacho that he is ready for a return to the Spanish side. Las Palmas had been causing problems themselves on the counterattack though, with Turdó missing the best chance of the match, and Kresic's frustration got the better of him after referee Carmona Méndez mistakenly booked Samways, the manager going over the top with his protests and getting himself sent off to sit in the stands after picking up two yellow cards in three minutes.

Immediately after the restart Jorge López put the home side two in front after Víctor took a clever backheel return pass from Calleja to lay the ball on a plate for him, and it seemed to be all over. However two minutes later Samways found Schurrer unmarked in the penalty area, with a lobbed pass, and the defender shot low under the keeper with the Villarreal defence calling for offside. However they had not seen that Xavi Roca had not moved up with the rest of the defence, and the goal stood. Curiously Schurrer's last goal in the league came just over two years ago when he was playing for Deportivo, also against Villarreal. After that though Víctor Muñoz boarded up his goal and Villarreal survived to take a step nearer to their goal. Las Palmas stay mid-table on 39 points, fairly sure that they will have another chance to get their revenge on their opponents in the top flight next season.