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Second Division - Day 21

Elche were already sure of the honorific title of winter champions a couple of weeks ago, but they end the first half of the season with a record 49 points after a 0-0 draw at Guadalajara on Saturday evening. Despite the result both keepers had work to do, Razak saving from Fidel, Powel and Albacar, and Manu Herrera keeping out Azkorra before the break. After the restart Vicente and Azkorra fired good chances over the top, and substitute Pelayo tried to go it alone at the other end when Fidel was better placed to score. The draw extends Elche's unbeaten run to nine games, and Herrera is well clear at the top of the second division "Zamora" chart having only let in eleven goals all season.

Elche are now eleven points ahead of second place pending the rest of the weekend's games, Almería occupying the runners up spot overnight at least after a 1-1 draw against promotion rivals Villarreal. The locals had the better of the first half, Mellberg clearing a deflection off the line and Soriano heading against the bar, and three minutes after the break Corona opened the scoring after Mellberg's clearance came back off his own post. With an hour on the clock though Pellerano was sent off for a second bookable offence, and although Esteban saved the resulting free kick from Marcos Senna, Mellberg nipped in to turn the ball in to the net.

Barcelona B are up to fifth after a high scoring 4-2 win over Xerez. Deulofeu ran through to put the youngsters ahead in the twentieth minute, but two goals from Lucas Porcar in a twelve minute period early in the second half turned the scoreline in favour of the Andalusians. Espinosa came on to equalise though just a couple of minutes after making his appearance, and a minute later Luis Alberto beat Navas again to restore the lead, both goals coming from Araujo assists. And with the game in injury time Román wrapped things up on a quick breakaway to extend his team's unbeaten run to seven games. (12.01.13)

Three games on Sunday lunchtime, with Girona returning to second spot after a 0-0 draw at Real Madrid Castilla. The locals had the better of the first half, Jesé bringing a good save out of Dani Mallo, and Morata firing a good chance over the top. After the restart Jofre lobbed a shot just over the crossbar, and Morata and Juanfran came up against Mallo once again. But in the end both coaches settled for a point which brings to an end Castilla's run of three defeats in a row.

The other two matches involved teams languishing in the lower reaches of the table, with bottom club Hércules closing to within a point of Racing Santander after beating the Cantabrians 2-0. Ex Real Madrid striker Portillo got both the goals, the first in the fifth minute after Pablo Redondo put him through, and the second from the penalty spot midway through the second half after Ruyman fouled Sardinero in the area. Mirandés are now level with Racing after they drew 1-1 at Sporting Gijón, Mújika saving a point for the visitors after intercepting a Luis Hernández clearing midway through the first half. Trejo had given the Asturains the lead with a header from a Sangoy free kick on the quarter hour mark. (13.01.13)

After the rest of the weekend's results, Alcorcón kicked off their Sunday evening match at Sabadell looking for a win which would take them back up to the automatic promotion spots. However in the end they had to settle for fourth place after they were beaten 2-0 by the Catalans. Abraham Paz headed in a Lanzarote corner to give the locals the lead in the twenty seventh minute, and Lanzarote himself scored the second early in the second half to take his team to within two points of the play off positions.

Las Palmas are up in to the top six after they beat Murcia 3-2. The Canary Islanders got off to a great start, with Thievy and Momo putting them two up within four minutes. Cristian García got one back though a quarter of an hour later, and Emilio Sánchez made it all square from the penalty spot with fifteen minutes to go after Barbosa was sent off for bringing down Kike García. However the ten men fought back, and Vitolo picked up a Thievy assist to score the winner in the fourth minute of time added on. Ponferradina drop out of the play-off spots though after they lost 0-1 to Lugo, Carlos Pita getting the only goal with a header from an Iván Pérez corner some ten minutes in to the second half to take the Galicians to within a point of their opponents in the table.

Córdoba stay level on points with Lugo in the table after the Andalusians beat Numancia 1-0. Rafa Berges's side had not won at home in the league since the first week of November, but they took the three points thanks to a first half header by López Garai from Dubarbier's corner, his first goal for five years. Numancia drop below their hosts to twelfth, level on points still with Recreativo, who were beaten 3-1 by Huesca. Chuli gave the Huelva based team the lead in the seventh minute, but Borja headed in Nacho Novo's cross to equalise with twenty minutes to go. Eight minutes later Camacho converted a penalty for the locals after Córcoles handled in the area, and Novo scored the third on a quick breakaway soon afterwards to give Jorge D'Alessandro a victory in his first game in charge at the Alcoraz stadium. (13.01.13)