Racing Santander 2 - Rayo Vallecano 0

Racing: Lemmens; Coromina, Moratón, Juanma, Neru; Diego Mateo, Nafti; Munitis, Benayoun (Sarabia 70'), Javi Guerrero (Diego Alonso 68'), Txiki (Matabuena 83'). 4-2-4.
Rayo: Etxeberría; Mario, De Quintana, Onopko, Graff; Quevedo, Mora (Azkoitia 46'); Julio Alvarez (Marqués 46'), Peragón, Luis Cembranos (Bolic 64'); Bolo. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Racing: Javi Guerrero for Diego Alonso / Rayo: Luis Cembranos, Bolo for Michel, Bolic.

Goals:
1-0. 17. Javi Guerrero. Turned ball past Etxeberría after Munitis passed in.
2-0. 29. Benayoun. Finished off after keeper saved Javi Guerrero header.

Dmitri Piterman's Racing Santander stay down in seventeenth place despite recording their second 2-0 win in a row, this time against Rayo Vallecano. They do however open up a four point gap over Rayo and Espanyol, and only three points separate them from eighth placed Athletic Bilbao.

Once again the new president took his place on the bench, this time as team delegate, to a mixed reception from fans, some loving him and some hating him. He and his manager Chuchi Cos stuck to their four man attack though, and it paid off fairly quickly when Javi Guerrero gave them the lead with a quarter of an hour gone from a Munitis pass. Benayoun got the second later in the half after Etxeberría failed to hold on to Javi Guerrero's header, and the Israeli midfielder almost added another with a shot just wide after Munitis laid the ball in again from the right wing.

Rayo had hardly approached Lemmens' goal dureing the first half, and Quevedo was sent off for a second bookable offence soon after the restart. Sarabia, Racing's new signing from the president's old club Palamos came on in the second half from whistles by the anti-Piterman section of the crowd, but tested Etxeberría with a shot almost immediately, and Nafti also brought a finger-tip save out of the keeper with a long shot. Lemmens was in action at last, turning a vicious Bolic free kick for a corner, but Regueiro had a shot headed off the line with the keeper beaten and Mateo headed against the bar as the home side continued to play entertaining football.