Second Division - Day 3

Four matches on Saturday in the second division, Numancia and Gimnàstic Tarragona ending the day at the top the table after both moved on to seven points. Last week’s leaders Numancia were held to a 0-0 draw by Elche though, the visitors having the better of the first half and the locals the second. Espinosa brought a good save out of Biel Ribas and then hit the post before the break, and Julio Alvarez also rattled the woodwork with a well struck free kick after the restart. Nàstic meanwhile beat regional neighbours Girona 1-0 to clock up their second victory in a row. Alex López and Giner went close for the locals in the first half, and Jean Luc gave them the lead on the hour mark, cutting in from the right wing before firing a shot inside Becerra’s near post. However the visitors came back after that, and only a good stop by Reina from Mata prevented them from saving a point.

The other two matches on Saturday both ended 1-1, Lugo keeping up their unbeaten record with a draw at Mirandés. Igor Martínez put the Galicians ahead against his old side in the seventh minute after Irome set him up. However José Juan had to make a couple of good saves from Lago Junior after that, and Alex García hit the post before Lago headed the equalizer some ten minutes in to the second half. Elsewhere Tenerife picked up their first point of the season after coming from a goal down to draw 1-1 at Huesca. Luis Fernández gave the newly promoted side the lead with only two minutes on the clock after Dani Hernández failed to hold on to a long cross. However Lozano made it all square with an angled shot later on in the first half, and local keeper Oscar Whalley had to be at his best to keep out Pedro a couple of times after the interval. (05.09.15)

At the end of week two, both Athletic Bilbao and their reserve team Bilbao Athletic had lost their opening games, but the “Lion Cubs” showed their senior colleagues how it was done with a 3-1 win over Mallorca on Sunday lunchtime. The visitors took the lead though when Bianchi got on the end of Brandon’s cross to beat Remiro on the quarter hour mark, but some fifteen minutes later Santamaría made it all square, following up after Codina pushed Undabarrena’s shot onto the post. Arana and Coro went close for the islanders either side of half time, but substitute Villalibre set up Seguín to put the home side in front with a quarter of an hour to go. A few minutes later Mallorca were left with ten men when Bianchi was shown a second yellow card, and with the game in injury time Villalibre wrapped things up following a quick breakaway.

That result combined with Tenerife’s draw on Saturday left Llagostera as the only team without a point, but they too clocked up a first victory after beating Alavés 3-0 later in the evening. The game swung in their favour with half an hour gone when Carpio was sent off for handling in the area, Pitu stepping up to convert the resulting penalty. The visitors were left with nine men when Manu was also red-carded at the start of the second half, and although Toquero tried his luck a couple of times, a Juanjo lob and an angled shot by Giva ensured the three points for the Catalans. Alavés were one of the two remaining sides who had won their first two matches together with Osasuna, but the Pamplona based team were also beaten on Sunday, their 2-1 defeat at Almería meaning that Numancia and Nàstic stay in the top two spots as the only teams on seven points. Alex Berenguer ran through to set up Osasuna forward Pucko for the opening goal some five minutes before the interval, but Chuli headed the equalizer from Macedo’s cross on the hour mark, and ex Manchester City striker José Angel Pozo fired home the winner just seconds after coming on for his first appearance for his new club.

Ponferradina and Alcorcón join the group on six points after their respective victories, Ponferradina beating regional neighbours Valladolid 3-0 thanks to a hat-trick from Yuri. The Brazilian striker opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the twentieth minute after Juanpe was shown a second yellow card for a high kick on Acorán, and then added two more in the last ten minutes of the game following assists by Gurdiel and Andy. Alcorcón meanwhile won 1-3 at Córdoba, a second defeat in a row for the Andalusians after winning their opening game. The visitors went ahead in the fifth minute when Cisma deflected an attempted pass by Máyor past his own keeper, but Xisco levelled it some twenty minutes later, deflecting a wayward shot by Markovic into the net with his heel. David Rodríguez restored the lead from the penalty spot however after his shot hit Deivid on the elbow soon after the restart, and Máyor rounded things off near the end with third goal after picking up a short pass from Oscar Plano.

Elsewhere Zaragoza stay undefeated on five points after a 1-1 draw at Leganés. Szymanowski had a headed goal ruled out early on for a borderline offside after Manu Herrera punched out a corner, and with the first half coming to a close Borja Lázaro headed the opener after another corner was headed across to him. A few minutes in to the second half the referee disallowed a strike by visiting defender Rubén for another close offside decision, and with twenty minutes to go Jorge Díaz made it all square after Serantes pushed out a header by Angel following a long free kick. Leganés move on to four points, level now with Oviedo, who beat Albacete 3-1 for their first win since being promoted in the summer. The match was initially scheduled for Saturday until someone belatedly realized that Spain were playing their Euro qualifier at the Carlos Tartiére stadium the same day, but that didn’t stop a big crowd seeing the locals go two up, Susaeta opening the scoring with a well struck free kick, and Borja Valle making it two with a long shot which went through the hands of keeper Dorronsoro. Rubén Cruz turned in a Santo Jara cross though to get one back just before the break, and there were some anxious moments before Linares settled the nerves with a third goal shortly before the final whistle. All of that left four sides without a victory, Huesca, Mirandés, Albacete and Tenerife, and they currently occupy the relegation spots. (06.09.15)