Second Division - Day 21

Oviedo are up to second place in the table pending Córdoba’s match on Sunday after they drew 0-0 at Osasuna on Saturday evening. Just one point separated the two teams at kick-off, but neither created any clear cut chances in a dull first half, with Berenguer and Koné failing to find the target. After the interval substitute Nino wasted the best chance for the locals after Roberto Torres set him up, but in the end it was a point apiece, extending the visitors’ undefeated run to six games, but leaving Monreal’s side without a home win in two months. Alcorcón failed to take advantage though, and they drop below Osasuna to fifth after a 2-0 defeat at Elche. The Madrid based team had gone seven games without a loss, but with just over half an hour gone Alex Moreno opened the scoring after good work by Sergio León, and León himself ran on to Lolo’s long pass to make it two with twenty minutes to go. Elche themselves have now gone six matches without defeat, and they end the first half of the season just three points behind their opponents in the table.

Zaragoza stay level on points with Elche though after they beat struggling Llagostera 1-0, a first win for new coach Lluis Carreras. Cabrera, Pedro and Dorca all missed chances before Pedro got on the end of Ortuño’s cross to score the opener on the half hour mark, and the Maños could have increased the lead after that. Llagostera end the day in next to bottom spot, two points above Bilbao Athletic, who lost 2-0 at Tenerife. Lozano headed the Canary Islanders into the lead from Aitor Sanz’s quickly taken free kick midway through the first half, and with half time approaching Yeray turned a Saúl García cross into his own net trying to clear. Any hopes the visitors had of coming back ended when Gil was sent off for a tackle on Nano with ten minutes to go. Tenerife are up to twelfth, and Numancia are just a point below them after they won 0-2 at Albacete, their sixth victory in a row at the Carlos Belmonte stadium. The goals came either side of half time, Callens heading in the first after Iñigo Pérez headed on a Julio Alvarez corner, and Pablo Valcarce getting the second with an angled shot past Juan Carlos following a quick breakaway. (16.01.16)

Leaders Alavés were beaten 1-3 by Nàstic on Sunday, and although they still end the first half of the season as “Winter Champions”, they have to share the lead with Córdoba. The Vitoria based side had taken 22 points out of their last eight games, but they went behind shortly before the break, Carpio turning Naranjo’s shot past his own keeper trying to clear. Achille Emaná made it two with ten minutes to go, and although Barreiro pulled one back, Emaná set up his brother Stephane to wrap things up in injury time. The locals ended with ten men when Manu García picked up a second booking near the end, and the result takes the Catalans back up to within a point of the play-off spots. Córdoba moved up level on points with Alavés fter they beat regional rivals Almería 0-1 later in the evening. Florin got the only goal of the game after Markovic set him up some six minutes in to the second half, and although the visitors had Stankevicius sent off for a second bookable offence some three minutes later, they held on to hand Gorosito his first defeat since taking over three weeks ago.

Leganés are up to fifth in the table after they thrashed cup giantkillers Mirandés 4-0. The Madrid based side had not lost at home all season, and they went two up in ten minutes, Szymanowski setting up Rubén Peña for the first, and scoring the second himself. Some ten minutes later Peña scored his second of the night, and the midfielder hit the bar before Gabriel completed the scoring on the hour mark. The defeat brought the visitors back to earth after their epic cup win at Deportivo mid-week, and they ended the day down in eleventh spot, now two points behind Lugo after the Galicians drew 1-1 against Huesca. The locals took the lead with just under a quarter of an hour gone, Morillas heading a cross into his own net under pressure from Iriome. However Lugo keeper José Juan had to make a string of saves after that, and he was finally beaten with four minutes to go, Héctor Figueroa scoring on the far post after connecting with an assist from Tyronne.

Huesca are now two points above Mallorca, the Balearic Islanders ending the weekend in the drop zone after a 0-1 defeat against Valladolid in this Sunday’s mid-day game. The locals had the better chances, Coro in particular hitting the bar following a free kick, but with two minutes to go Juan Villar got on the end of Mojica’s cross to score what was to prove the only goal of the match. The defeat signalled the end for Pepe Gálvez, Fernando Vázquez already named as his replacement after the team had only picked up five points in the six games under the caretaker coach. Valladolid move up safely to mid-table, and Girona also moved clear of the relegation spots after a 4-0 victory over Ponferradina. Strikes by Mata and Kiko Oliveras either side of half time put the Catalans two up, and Oliveras and Jairo added two more later on in the second half to take Pablo Machin’s team to within a point of their opponents in the table. (17.01.16)