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Second Division - Day 34

Las Palmas are up to third in the table pending Sunday’s games after they came from behind to beat Hércules 2-1 on Saturday evening. The visitors went ahead in the third minute, Eldin beating the offside trap and setting up Sardinero to score. Half time substitute Héctor Figueroa levelled it though just three minutes after coming on, turning the ball past Aulestia from an Asdrúbal assist, and his elder brother Momo got the winner from the penalty spot after Sardinero pushed over Xabi Castillo inside the area some twenty minutes later. Hércules finished the match with ten men after Escassi picked up a second booking in injury time, and the Alicante based side ended the day just two points above the drop zone. Sporting Gijón are in freefall though, and they could be out of the play-off spots altogether by the end of the weekend after losing 2-0 at Sabadell. The match appeared to be heading for a dull, score-less draw until a quarter of an hour from the end, when substitute Santi Jara got himself sent off just a minute after coming on for kicking out at an opponent. With five minutes to go Anibal headed in a Collantes cross to open the scoring, and Tamudo added a second after Alberto dropped a high ball at his feet to make it three defeats in a row for the Asturians.

Girona are off the bottom of the table after a 4-0 win over Mirandés. Gerard Bordas put the Catalans in front in the first minute after the defence failed to clear a Juncà cross. However the real turning point came midway through the second half when both visiting keepers were sent off within six minutes of each other for giving away penalties, the first by Prieto on Eloi, and the second by his replacement Dani Jiménez on Ortuño. Jandro converted both spot kicks, and with full back Ríos in goal, the ex Valencia midfielder completed his hat-trick near the end. Elsewhere Numancia and Zaragoza cancelled each other out in a 2-2 draw, a result which leaves both level on points in mid-table, four points below the play-off spots but only five above the bottom four. Vicente got on the end of an Akapo cross to lob Leo Franco for the opener midway through the first half, but a few minutes later Luis García made it all square from the penalty spot after Akapo fouled Roger in the area. Roger himself got a second for the Maños on the stroke of half time, but Julio Alvaréz and Natalio combined to set up Sergi Enrich for the equalizer on the hour mark. (12.04.14)

Deportivo took another big step towards a return to the top flight after beating promotion rivals Recreativo 2-0 on Sunday lunchtime. The Galicians had not taken the three points in the Riazor stadium in over a month, but with six minutes on the clock Juan Carlos won the ball off Menosse and ran on to open the scoring. The Andalusians held their own though until midway through the second half, when Fernando Vázquez brought on Nuñez and Ifrán in a double change. The move couldn’t have worked better as within a minute the two combined for Ifrán to head in Nuñez’s cross, and any chance Recre had of a comeback ended when Morcillo got himself sent off for a second bookable offence with twenty minutes still to go. The result takes Depor six points clear of third placed Las Palmas and nine above their opponents, who stay in fourth place despite the defeat.

Deportivo have opened up a five point gap at the top as well after second placed Eibar were beaten 1-2 by Tenerife later in the evening. A sell-out crowd of 4,364 in the tiny Ipurúa stadium saw Bóveda get on the end of a wide Morales free kick to give the Basque side the lead in the eighth minute. However Bruno headed the equalizer from an Ayoze Díaz free kick at the start of the second half, and Aridane scored an impressive winner for the Canary Islanders with a shot over the head of Irureta from the far corner of the area with a quarter of an hour to go. Soon afterwards the locals were left a man short when Bóveda was carried off with all three changes made, and they ended with nine men when Yuri picked up a second booking near the end. Tenerife move up level with Recreativo, and Murcia are also up in to the play-off spots after they beat Lugo 3-1 earlier in the evening. All the goals came in the last half hour, Kike García starting things off with a header from Saúl’s cross. Wellington Silva added two more in quick succession, the first with a shot which deflected in off Rennella, and the second following an individualist run, and a late strike by Pablo Sánchez was scant consolation for the Galicians.

Barcelona B are actually in fifth place though, albeit that they are ineligible for promotion, after a 0-3 victory at Jaén. Visiting keeper Masip had to make a couple of early saves, but the youngsters went ahead in the 25 th minute when Espinosa picked up a return pass from Denis Suárez to fire an angled shot past René. With seven minutes to go Dongou battled through to score a second, and with the match coming to an end the Cameroonian striker picked up a long pass from Samper to run round René and complete the scoring. The defeat takes Jaén down in to the relegation zone, below Ponferradina, who climb out of the bottom four after a 2-0 victory over Mallorca in the last match of the weekend. Alberto Aguilar got on the end of a Javi Lara pass following a corner to put the locals in front with just over half an hour gone, and Yuri took advantage of some slack defending to add a second some ten minutes in to the second half. Even with Ponfe down to ten men after Samuel was sent off, the Balearic Islanders were unable to score, and they ended the day just three points above their hosts in the table.

Only one point separates five teams though, Alcorcón remaining just outside of the drop zone, above Real Madrid Castilla and Jaén on goal difference, despite a 3-1 defeat at Córdoba. It was an eventful match, Oscar Plano and Juanlu hitting the woodwork before Iribas got on the end of Plano’s assist to open the scoring. Before half time however Abel levelled it from the penalty spot after Chema fouled Pedro in the area, and although Mora hit the bar after the interval, Arturo turned in Pedro’s cross to give Chapi Ferrer’s side the lead after the restart. Abel hit the bar for a fourth time from a long free kick soon afterwards, and with five minutes to go he converted his second penalty of the evening after Iribas was sent off for bringing down Juanlu. Alcorcón ended with nine men after Mora was also shown a second yellow card, and the Andalusians went on to clock up a first home win in three months. Castilla meanwhile picked up a point in a 2-2 draw at bottom club Alavés, although they will rue the fact that they took the lead twice in the game. Jaime Romero got the first early on with a wide free kick which bounced past everyone in to the net, but Viguera made it all square from the penalty spot a few minutes later after Mascarell brought down Beobide in the area. The visitors went back in front when Manu García turned the ball in to his own net after Romero played on a Lucas Vázquez corner shortly before the interval, but Viguera saved a point with his 21 st goal of the season midway through the second half. (13.04.14)