Alavés 3 - Valladolid 1

Alavés: Kike; Geli, Karmona, Coloccini, Llorens; Pablo, Turiel; Astudillo, Magno (Iván Alonso 70'), Jordi Cruyff; Rubén Navarro (Lombardi 80'). 4-2-3-1.
Valladolid: Ricardo; Torres Gómez, Peña, Caminero, Gaspar (Cuauhtèmoc Blanco 79'), Marcos; Fernando Sales, Jesús, Fernando, Luis García (Eusebio 70'); Tote (Pachón 83'). 5-4-1.

Team changes: Alavés: Coloccini, Llorens for Téllez, Ibon Begoña, Witschge / Valladolid: Luis García for Chema.

Goals:
0-1. 10. Fernando. Controlled cross from right and shot through keeper's legs.
1-1. 38. Magno. Took pass from Jordi Cruyff and held off Peña before scoring.
2-1. 56.Geli. Won ball off Luis García and beat keeper on near post.
3-1. 65.Geli. Shot in off far post from wide angle after quick Pablo free kick.

Alavés put themselves back in the reckoning for a European spot with a 3-1 win over Valladolid. It was a victory they desperately needed after three home defeats in a row, and was particularly important as their opponents had drawn level with them on points the week before. For once Mané could count on a strong side, with Coloccini and Llorens returning from a one match ban and only the injured Téllez missing from his first choice line up. However they were caught with their publicity stamped pants down by Pepe Moré's side, who took the lead in the eighth minute when Fernando beat Kike for his tenth goal of the season. The on-form Fernando Sales put a shot over the bar a few minutes later, but from then on the visitors settled back to preserve their lead and let their opponents come at them. That they did, and after Rubén Navarro brought a good save out of Ricardo, referee Mejuto González turned down an appeal for a goal when Astudillo's effort appeared to cross the line.

Eventually the pressure paid off and Magno levelled the scores, the nippy little Brazilian taking Jordi Cruyff's pass to cut through the defence and beat Ricardo seven minutes before half time. Then two goals from Delfi Geli in a ten minute period in the second half left their opponents high and dry, the right back probably drawing on his experience as a centre forward at Barcelona at the start of his career to coolly beat Ricardo on the near post for his first of the season, and then follow it up with a second after a quick Pablo free kick. Moré brought on forwards Cuauhtèmoc and Pachón, but it was too late and they made little impact in short the time they were on the field. Alavés took their first points in five games to move back up level with Celta in eighth place. With Real Madrid and Deportivo disputing the cup final, the seventh placed team in the league is almost certain to qualify for the UEFA cup, and the Vitoria based side would love to repeat their success of last season. So too though would Valladolid, and either could finish up there in the end. Today though at least the day belonged to Alavés.