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Second Division - Day 22

Betis are finally getting into gear after a shaky start to the season, and they move up level with leaders Las Palmas pending their game on Sunday after beating Sabadell 2-0 on Saturday evening. Pepe Mel’s new side have not lost in eight games, and they went ahead in only the seventh minute when Dani Ceballos turned in Rubén Castro’s cross. Nauzet had to save from Castro before Molina headed the second from Molinero’s centre on the half hour mark, and the visiting keeper got himself sent off five minutes later after bringing down Cejudo outside of the area. After that replacement keeper De Navas made a string of saves to prevent the scoreline increasing, but his opposite number Adán was only troubled by an effort from Agus late on. Ponferradina meanwhile stay in sixth spot after they beat Tenerife 0-1. The only goal came early on, Rubén Sobrino getting on the end of Acorán’s assist to score from close to goal on the quarter hour mark. The visitors were left with ten men though when Pablo Infante picked up a second yellow card a quarter of an hour later, and either side of half time Aridane hit the post with a header, and Ifrán headed just wide. Numbers were evened up however when Moyano was sent off for a hard tackle on an opponent, and Sobrino could have extended the lead near the end

Zaragoza are treading on Ponferradina’s heels though, and the Maños stay a point behind Manolo Díaz’s side after a 2-0 victory over Recreativo. The visitors are in free fall having only picked up one point now in nine games, and local keeper Bono had little work to do all evening. Pedro thought he had scored directly from an inswinging corner before the break only for the referee to rule it out for what he considered to be a foul by Vallejo, but some ten minutes in to the second half Jaime Romero did beat Dani Sotres with a direct free kick, and Basha added a second with a shot from the half-way line a few minutes later. Elsewhere Alavés clocked up their first victory in the new year after beating Leganés 2-0. Toribio opened the scoring after picking up a poor clearance and firing a shot past Serantes with fifteen minutes gone, and Despotovic missed a chance to make it two a few minutes later. The visitors got back in the game after the restart though, and it was only when Raúl García picked up a loose ball in the area to beat the keeper again in the last minute that the three points were in the bag. (24.01.15)

Valladolid proved once again that they are strong candidates for an immediate return to the top flight when they thrashed Mallorca 1-5 in the Sunday mid-day game. The islanders had not lost at home since the end of November, and they took the lead in only the third minute when Fofo headed a Cabrero clearance on for Marco Asensio to run on and score. However after that it turned into the Jonathan Pereira show, the new signing scoring twice in quick succession midway through the first half, Mojica setting him up twice to steer shots past the local keeper. Mojica scored the third himself after Pereira laid the ball across soon afterwards, and although Bustos hit the bar just before the break, Pereira completed his hat-trick after connecting with Oscar’s return pass at the start of the second half. With just over an hour gone Oscar made it five, again from Pereira’s assist, and when the ex Rayo striker was substituted a few minutes later part of the crowd had already left.

Valladolid ended the weekend in third spot, just three points behind leaders Las Palmas after they were held to a 0-0 draw at Llagostera. The gale force wind made play difficult, and there were few chances at either end, Jonathan Viera and Otuño going close for the visitors, and Casto saving from Querol before the break and Enric Pi and Masó later on. Only four points now separate the top five after Sporting Gijón and Girona both won to stay level on points with Valladolid, the Asturians beating Numancia 3-0, and the Catalans winning 0-1 at Racing Santander. Sporting bounced back from their first defeat of the season last weekend to score three times in the second half, Jony getting the first from an Isma López assist some ten minutes after the restart. Bernardo headed the second after Nacho Cases played a corner back into the box, and Pablo Pérez got on the end of another Isma López cross to complete the scoring. Girona meanwhile totally dominated their match at the Sardinero stadium, although the only goal came when Juanpe deflected Samuel’s attempted clearance into his own net some ten minutes before the interval.

Racing stay down in the bottom four, now level with Recreativo and with Albacete, who move off the bottom of the table to the detriment of Sabadell after beating Alcorcón 2-3. Portu started and finished a move to put the visitors ahead in the seventh minute, and although Antonio Martínez connected with Guichón’s centre to equalize, Pulido got on the end of Samu’s free kick to restore the lead on the half hour mark. With the game coming to an end Rubén Cruz made it three from a free kick, and although Martínez scored again in injury time it came too late to change the result. Barcelona B are only a point above the drop zone after they lost 0-1 to Osasuna, Nino scoring the only goal midway through the first half with a low shot past Ortolá from a set-piece Roberto Torres free kick, and the Pamplona based side holding on after De las Cuevas was sent off for a second bookable offence with twenty minutes to go. Lugo are just a point above Eusebio’s team though after they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Mirandés, their seventh game in a row without a win. Pedro Martín fired the visitors into the lead with just over half an hour gone, and Lolo Plá saved a point for the Galicians with a header from Diego Seoane’s cross early on in the second half. (25.01.15)