Unfamiliar faces in unusual roles was not the perfect recipe for CD Marino to take on visitors UD San Fernando from Maspalomas in Gran Canaria. Ravaged by injuries, the blues came from behind for a well earned 1-1 draw, thanks to hard work and a battling attitude.

Striker Gaizka and midfielder Juanmi adapted well to filling the heart of the home defence, and Prince dipped back to help them, his early block of Fede set the tone for the resolute rear guard. Ahmed assumed extra responsibility up front, he rounded the yellows defence with ease before firing a speculative cross too high. Javi Gonzalez benefitted from a long ball in, he leapt well to head the ball but it went straight to goalie Choolani. There was a let off at the other end when Brandon only half stopped a San Fernando shot, the ball squirmed loose but trickled harmlessly out of danger as forwards rushed to reach it.

Much of San Fernando´s play was made down their left with Medina, when he cut inside he looked certain to try his luck but Gaizka shielded the ball well. The yellows tried to exploit the hastily refashioned home line up, Echedey wasted a free kick by curling the ball over the bar, and Niki came to the rescue to halt another Medina raid. Marino were giving away too many fouls and it cost them after 20 minutes when Navas powered a free kick to the left of a static Brandon to take the lead. Marino had to weather a prolonged spell of pressure that saw Bryan and Ramirez spurn good chances. The blues regained their composure and started to trouble their guests again, Bamba showed good vision when he tried to lob Choolani from distance, the keeper was relieved to pluck the ball under control.

San Fernando dug themselves a big hole when Ramirez brought down Mylan as he raced clear towards the goal. The ref didn´t hesitate to wave the red card to reduce them to 10 men. It was a handy bit of encouragement for Marino, and just before half time they seized an equaliser. A free kick into the yellows defence caught the goalie off guard, he prodded the ball a few feet in front of him and then got tangled up with his captain, Israel. As they fumbled around, Javi Gonzalez was quick witted and tapped the ball in the net. Marino should have turned the screw at the start of the second half but San Fernando made a spirited reply. Brandon had to be alert and decisive to thwart a Bryan shot, and then claimed the ball off the head of sub Quintero. The Gran Canarian side were getting some mileage out of pushing up their full backs but Marino put the squeeze on them to dry up that supply.

Numbers were evened out after 78 minutes when Navas got into an attacking position but was brought down by Gaizka just outside the penalty area. The ref brandished another red card but Fede could only muster a weak free kick that Marino easily cleared. Samuel added his speedy runs from left back to the home attack, he set up Ahmed for a shot that cleared the bar. Ideally Marino would have made a couple of earlier substitutions but the current shortage of experienced players on the bench limited their options. Mussa came on for Javi with barely 10 minutes left and Marino had a couple of half chances. There was always a danger that San Fernando might grab a winner, Quintero forced a corner and the ball in had to be cleared off the home goal line by a Juanmi header. A draw was a fair outcome and Marino learned a lot about how versatile their players are, but they will be glad to have a full squad available again.

His keys, his wallet, or his mobile. Jose Luis Oltra may forget them all at some time in his life, but he will never forget his 150th game as coach of CD Tenerife. It must have been purgatory as his team slipped to a 0-2 home deficit against Mallorca and 462 minutes without a goal. Thankfully Serbian midfielder Racic became his friend for life by belting a 71st minute lifeline goal to set them on the road to a 2-2 draw.

All the old problems were present and incorrect in the first half, poor passing, little support for each other, and woeful finishing. Borja Lasso in a more forward role fired an early chance straight at goalie Reina. The suspension of Jose Naranjo gave Coniglio a starting chance, the Argentinian striker again looked totally out of his depth, he has neither speed, power, or positional awareness. Malbasic was left to offer his brand of hard work and determination, Mallorca defender Valjent made it tough for him and his team mates. The visiting promotion candidates were a sharp side, after 14 minutes Lago Junior brought the ball under control with his back to the goal line and popped a pass out to Estupinan who cracked a fierce shot beyond Dani Hernandez and into the bottom corner of the goal to take the lead.

Tenerife´s best weapon was Racic, always in the action and ready to chance a shot. A corner gave him the chance to launch a strong header but the keeper took it well and punched away another header soon after. It was already looking an uphill task for Tenerife, Malbasic needed some support as he had a good go at beating three defenders who crowded round him. Just before the break, defender Jorge Saenz got booked to signal a suspension for the next game, it would be a bleak half time dressing room. Dani Hernandez had received plenty of criticism in the week for his latest goal keeping error, it reached a new low just after the restart. A harmless ball came towards Dani who had time to cover it but he slipped and missed it, leaving a gift for Budimir to tap in. It was a schoolboy error to increase the pressure on the the teams saviour of so many games.

A huge reaction and show of character was needed and to their credit Tenerife set about clawing their way back into the game. A determined break opened the Mallorca defence but Malbasic´s shot came back off the underside of the bar. Lago Junior threatened again, Luis Perez was quick to intercept his shot and Dani seized on the loose ball. Nano, back from another injury, made his entrance after 62 minutes as Coniglio departed. The striker showed glimpses of his old form when he emerged from the youth programme, it gave encouragement to the home cause. It was Mallorca´s turn to hang on as the ball pinged around their defence and they tried to close down the game with some delaying tactics.

Racic deserved some reward for his efforts and it came after 71 minutes. A long free kick from Luis Milla fell kindly for the Serbian and he showed no mercy as he fired the ball into the visitors goal. It was like a release from a curse for Tenerife, hope was in the air and the players were chasing for the equaliser. Suso added some of his trademark runs into the box from the right to the mix, and when Mallorca made a dash for the other end, Dani showed his better side with a clean take from a Lago Junior attempt. Tyronne has been seen as a strange choice of sub as the club have told him his days are numbered in Santa Cruz. Coach Oltra brought him on after 84 minutes as an adventurous replacement for defender Hector.

Suso was fouled near the touchline by Estupinan who was sent off by the ref, an idiot in the San Sebastian stand threw a plastic bottle, the ref noted it and got Tenerife officials to flash a warning about behaviour on the scoreboard. The club could face sanctions from the league. Tenerife did well to not let the incident break their resolve, and the ref did well to make sure he added on five minutes for stoppages. With two minutes of the added time used, Tyronne headed an incoming ball down to his feet and unleashed his shot to tie the game. The point leaves Tenerife in 17th place and with an awarded 0-1 win at financially sunk Reus to come, they can rest a little easier in their two week gap before the Carnaval game at home to Numancia on Sunday 10th March at 5pm.

There’s an old saying about keeping your head when all around you lose theirs. CD Marino brought it to mind as they killed off Mensajero with two classy late goals after four players were sent off following a skirmish involving both sets of players .

The 86th minute flash point didn’t change the balance of the game, Marino had already dominated, particularly in the second half, and could have built a commanding lead. The La Palma visitors are always in the promotion mix, and played their usual style of fast breaks down the flanks with big front man Victor the main weapon in front of goal. Kevin Castro tested Kilian in the Mensajero goal with an early cross that was a bit to close to the keeper. Vianney was a danger down the reds left side with full back Azael overlapping. Brandon was taking no chances in the Marino goal, when Victor was racing in for a loose ball the home keeper rushed out and cleared the danger with a strong, decisive kick.

Ahmed nearly unlocked the Mensajero defence with a neat lay off but Javi Gonzalez couldn´t quite connect to put in a shot. Javi was a real handful all afternoon, he breached the defence but fired directly at Kilian. Mensajero were a strong side but found their match in a hard working Marino team, and when the visitors looked to spring through for a shot, they again found Brandon alert and ready to dispatch the ball far upfield. Marino were taking more control as the game went on, Samuel stormed through from the left back slot but his effort was high and wide. A cheeky chip from Jony towards the end of the first half fell just a bit short for Gaizka, and Ahmed created space for Jony to put over the bar just before the break.

Just seconds after the restart, Javi pounced on a loose ball and raced past the Mensajero goalie as he side footed the ball beyond his reach for a 1-0 lead. Omar tried to hit back with a break down the right but Brandon was waiting with a clean take. Marino put the pressure on and lay siege to the visitors goal, Javi could have made a hat trick as he continually beat the defence but was foiled by Kilian. Even a double substitution by Mensajero had little effect, Samuel put in a teasing cross which Kilian caught at the second attempt. Ahmed was also unlucky not to get a better reward for his determined run through the Mensajero defence. Mylan came on for Javi with 15 minutes left and after a clash of heads with Kai, he followed up with a run across Kilian´s path as the ball ran out of play. Oscar chipped in with a few comments and the game was suddenly sizzling.

Brandon snapped up a deflected shot at the other end of the pitch but the action switched to the dug outs when Marino coach Zeben Hernandez reacted to a push by Oscar. Players swarmed around the sideline as the officials tried to calm things down, it all got quite heated and once order was restored the ref sent off Juanmi and coach Zeben for Marino, and Vianney and Oscar from the Mensajero players. Marino kept their composure and Ahmed spotted his chance, winning the ball and walking it into the visitors net.

It was a crushing blow to Mensajero and Mylan went one better as he weaved his way past two defenders and the goalie before adding a third home goal. Mensajero ended the game far from happy with the ref but credit to both teams for ensuring hand shakes were exchanged between both sets of players. Marino now sit just 3 points outside the promotion play off zone where Mensajero hold 2nd spot, the teams may well meet again at the end of the season.

On the 12th minute mark, the Heliodoro stadium became a sea of swirling flags and scarves in tribute to super fan El Barraquito (Damian Fleitas), who died a few days before. At the final whistle, the ground became a low tide of despair and disbelief after an inept performance saw CD Tenerife lose 0-2 to struggling Cordoba. Good and bad runs often overlap for the Santa Cruz faithful, but ending a three game shut out and recording a third straight game without scoring was hard to swallow for the 12,596 crowd.

Luis Milla was out suspended and losing his influence in midfield was a huge blow but didn´t account for the negative approach, particularly in the first half. Undabarrena played like a crab in his deep midfield role, sideways and backwards became the home pattern when Tenerife should have torn into the second from bottom visitors. Cordoba were encouraged to have a go and found room on their left against a hesitant Luis Perez. The danger was evident after Dani Hernandez blocked a shot at the post after Naranjo had dropped back and put a half hearted clearance into the path of De Las Cuevas. The forward tried again soon after and drew a diving save from Dani. The home attack was in a shy mood, Naranjo hiding out wide, Malbasic taking one touch too many when he got the ball, and Suso struggling to make an impact.

Borja Lasso made a couple of decent chances for Tenerife and they could have rode out the first half all square if their marking had been better. After 38 minutes a corner from Aquado was headed on by Flaño to Herrero at the post to squeeze past Dani Hernandez with a header. The second half started more promisingly, Borja slipped a little before unleashing a long shot, and Suso started to cut inside from the right to worry the visiting defenders. Malbasic managed a good run and put the ball across the face of the Cordoba goal, sadly there were no takers to finish it off. Alberto put a header over the bar as the Cordoba players began to drop easily to waste valuable time and hold onto their lead. Suso got in behind two Cordoba defenders and looked mightily frustrated when his ball into the box was snapped up by the goalie.

Coniglio, was given 30 minutes to impress when he replaced Naranjo, but the Argentinian striker didn´t make the most of it. Jorge pressed forward to help the search for an equaliser, a weak shot at the keeper was his best attempt. Another January transfer window addition, Isma Lopez, made his debut, taking over from Undabarrena, and tried to open a channel from the left of midfield. Tenerife were making a few openings but Cordoba had an eye for a break and picked up a free kick a little way outside the Tenerife box. The defence hadn´t learnt from the opening goal and were powerless to stop a well struck goal from De Las Cuevas. The ref wasn´t making things easy for Tenerife, he booked six home players and added a comedy moment as goalie Lavin slipped when walking backwards, he blew for a Tenerife foul even though there was no home player near.

A late bid for redemption saw Tyronne on for defender Perez but it didn´t bring the turnaround, even 5 minutes of injury time couldn´t ignite Tenerife. Coniglio got within sight of the Cordoba goal but defender Quintanilla held him off easily, making the forward look like a light weight. Not a good end to a turbulent week, that saw Jorge sign a 4 million euro pre contract deal that will see the defender move to Valencia in the summer for 5 seasons.

Jorge Saenz rejected Janaury transfer window offers from a host of clubs and made light of the attention, showing magnificent form in a battling 0-0 draw at high flying Deportivo. It was a third straight shut out as CD Tenerife dominated for much of the game but once again the lack of fire power frustrated their aim to break their away drought. Storm Helena diverted the clubs flight and it looked like coach Oltra had used the extra time to drum a new style into his back four. Deportivo were left chasing shadows in the first half hour as Tenerife stroked the ball around in defence with a confidence bordering on arrogance. When the chance came to break forward the confidence didn´t stretch that far, Malbasic ploughed a lone furrow for much of the game. Borja Lasso couldn´t make the most of his teams first chance but Tenerife were unlucky with a well worked free kick after 8 minutes. Suso played the ball to Luis Milla who fired a powerful drive high into the box, Jorge got a head to help it onto the target, and only a smart save from the home goalie saved his team.

Deportivo stirred and Caballo tried his luck with a shot that went well over the bar. Malbasic got in behind the home defence but his poor control produced a weak shot. Dani Hernandez was wide awake to thwart Dique, and a late firs t half Deportivo chance went the way of so many of their efforts, high and wide. Dique was severely restricted in the game by another excellent display at left back by Hector Hernandez. The defender was told he should look outside Tenerife in the January transfer window but he opted to stay and fight for his shirt. Midfielder Montañes has been cursed with injuries in his two seasons with Tenerife, he had to be replaced at half time by Jose Naranjo, and may face another few weeks on the treatment table. Racic got into a strong second half position before firing at the home keeper, and Malbasic hustled between a clutch of three defenders before losing the ball.

A booking for Milla after 56 minutes pushed him over the line for a suspension at home to Cordoba, the influential player will be a big miss. Deportivo were finding the Tenerife defence a hard nut to crack, Jorge rejected bids from Valencia, and Fulham, both were willing to meet the Spain under 21 players 3 million valuation but he decided to stay with his home town club. Winning the CD Tenerife player of the month award the last three times has been a rich reward as he has turned early promise into mature, disciplined performances. Naranjo has been one of the big let downs of the season, he is the teams top scorer, but with just four goals, he spurned another chance as the game went into the final phase.

Coniglio replaced Suso for the last 13 minutes, the Argentinian forward is still settling in after being lured over in the window, and added little threat. Underbarrena came on for Borja with two minutes left and his foul gave a free kick to Deportivo. It was heading for the goal until Dani made a double save to parry and then secure the ball and the away point.

More good vibrations for CD Tenerife as they held second placed Malaga to a 0-0 home draw in an entertaining match. Even with Montañes and Camille out injured, Tenerife continued their revival in form, and only a mix of nerves from new striker Coniglio, and athletic saves from visiting keeper Munir, denied another win.

N´Diaye put an early header over the home bar, Malbasic had a similar miss at the other end, and Munir juggled a long shot before clearing the danger. Hector Hernandez was drafted in at left back and set out to show he wants to stay at Tenerife despite the club telling him he should look elsewhere. The previous weeks debut boys Rasic and Borja Lasso kept the home midfield tight and offered plenty of attacking options. N´Diaye was a thorn in Tenerife´s side, he was involved in most of their best moves and was hard tackling on and off the ball. He tried to curl a shot around the diving Dani Hernandez but sent it outside the upright.

Suso was hustling as always, he pitched up a deep cross from the right which Munir plucked out of the air. There was a rare Scottish born visitor in the shape of Jack Harper, formerly with Real Madrid and Brighton, he was a throwback to the old British forwards, strong and awkward to mark, but his final ball let him down, noticeably after he turned Hector inside out. Tenerife were more adventurous in the second half, Naranjo showed a glimpse of a threat, beating the Malaga defence before putting his shot wide. Coniglio arrived to add to his few brief minutes the previous week, he looked more dangerous than Naranjo who went off for him. Malbasic carved an opening but the tall new strikers header was a little weak. Another chance soon followed, this time a half clearance that came to his feet, he scuffed the shot and it went begging.

Jorge marked his 100th game as a senior Tenerife player with a polished performance but was unable to crown it with a header that went close. A corner from Luis Milla found Borja whose shot was tipped up by Munir, the keeper tidied it up by diving into a crowd of Tenerife players and claiming the ball. Coniglio had one last near thing as he hit a shot into a defender, Suso calling in space might have been a better option. Hector was having one of his better games, a timely intervention on sub Ontiveros prevented a late break, and Dani denied the same player with an injury time save. The January transfer window still has more possibilities to offer and Tenerife at last have a chance to push up the table.

Give up this, that, and everything. It’s that time of year when those smug promises get right on your pip. Thank goodness CD Tenerife showed that giving up is not on their agenda, this was a spirited and defiant start to 2019 for a 2-1 home victory over an Elche team just above them in the lower half of the table.
The squad looked smaller than ever as Bryan Acosta tied up his big money move to Dallas FC, and several fringe players were politely encouraged out of the exit door, ready for some January transfer window arrivals. There were some towering performances from those left behind, in particular Jorge in defence, and Malbasic at his bruising best up front. There were a few early jitters, Benja flashed a shot wide of the home goal, and 10th minute injury replacement Manu, continually exposed Raul Camara at right back. Tenerife refused to be ruffled and got better as the game went on, Suso had a full head of steam and led by example, Milla was cool and composed, and Malbasic looked hungry for the ball.

The 22nd minute opener for Tenerife was a class act, starting from a Dani Hernandez clearance, the team stroked the ball upfield until a perfect pass from Milla found Malbasic who crashed the ball past the keeper. Former home legend Nino was honoured before the game for his past heroics in the white shirt but he looked to be nearing the end of his career, Benja was by far the greater threat, he beat Alberto but was denied by a crisp tip over from Dani. It marked a busy spell for the goalie as he forced Flores to fire wide. Just after the half hour a speculative Elche ball into the area caught Alberto on the turn and he deflected it with his hand to give away a penalty. Torres converted the kick to send the teams in level at the break.

Tenerife came back out charged up and gave goalie Francis plenty to deal with. Luis Milla crashed a shot against the post, the woodwork has been a saviour for several visiting teams this season. Suso went on one of his determined runs and squared the ball to Naranjo who tried a scissor kick shot that would have been spectacular if it hadn´t found the keepers body. Naranjo should have done better with his next effort, this time hitting it tamely into the side netting. On the hour a set piece undid Elche, a floated ball from Milla into the box was met by a majestic glancing header from Jorge to make it 2-1. There was no resting on the advantage, Montañes and Undabarrena both went close. Nano replaced Naranjo and nearly cashed in after Malbasic powered through the defence and laid the ball off. The sub must have thought he was cursed when a few minutes later his kick came back off the post and he got a head to it but couldn´t steer it past Francis.

Carlos Ruiz got a run out in place of Suso, and Joao Rodriguez had to make do with just the last three minutes action but a booking for Suso takes him to a suspension, that should give the Colombian an extended outing at Real Oviedo. The win was enough to lift Tenerife to 16th place, but just as important it lifted the 9,859 crowd with hints of better times to come.

Gonzalo made a brilliant double save to keep Real Madrid hopes alive as they trailed in the second half of the final of the 2018 La Liga Promises Under 12’s Tournament in Tenerife. Then in a penalty shoot out his two stops were vital. In between, Pisoni, the Inter Milan stopper failed to hold a late shot, allowing Jacobo to force an extra five minutes, followed by penalties. Pisoni was voted best goalie of the tournament, and Gonzalo ended in tears of joy as his team lifted the trophy. What emotion, what drama, and what a pleasure to see so many young players who will ensure the beautiful game has a rich future.

Three days with 16 teams from six different countries produced plenty to admire at the Estadio Antonio Dominguez Stadium in Playa de Las Americas. The four qualifying groups started it off with games of 12 minutes each way on the half sized pitch. Abu Dhabi Sports Council were the unknown quantity, they leaked a lot of goals as did my home side CD Tenerife, and island neighbours UD Las Palmas, all three couldn´t get through the first stage but will have learnt from their experience.

Villareal, and Espanyol looked good as they cruised over the first hurdles, they played hard, and like all the squads they rotated their bench to keep their seven on pitch players fresh. With the world watching via TV, personal sportsmanship was impeccable from all quarters, they even looked cool and mature when interviewed at pitch side. Looking at some of the coverage on the giant screen, I have to say the Tenerife setting was a pretty impressive backdrop. At that age the players develop at different rates so there were fascinating contrasts between powerful big lads, and smaller, nippy players with a lower centre of gravity. Football is a great leveller, a Real Betis player wore glasses, not a common sight in football, but he was one of their best performers.

By the night of the final, it was now 20 minutes a half, with the added pressure of a peak crowd of 5,000 fans, quite a test of nerves. Inter Milan came out stronger, Michele Scienza scored after three minutes with a clever looped shot, after going close just before. Milan played a holding game that took the sting out of Madrid but that changed in the second half as Milan tired and Madrid opened up their defence. Pisoni and Gonzalo both seemed to have an extra pair of hands as they produced a string of top saves. The seconds were ticking down when a soft shot was like a hot potato to Pisoni and Jacobo buried the ball past him with a powerful header with seconds to spare. Five minutes extra play couldn´t separate the teams and penalties were indicated. It was even at a spot kick success each when Gonzalo saved from Inter, and his team mate Pablo stroked home the clincher.

Both sides had given everything and emotions flowed, Milan were gracious in defeat and quick to congratulate the winners. Winning coach Juanjo Crespo and his players shed more tears as they paraded the trophy and their individual medals. Real Madrid dominated the early days of the tournament, they racked up six wins but the latest was even sweeter for the 16 year wait.

What a strange creature a local derby is, anything can happen and all reason goes out the window. CD Tenerife captain Suso wont argue with the bizarre nature of a 1-1 draw at arch enemies UD Las Palmas, his 84th minute penalty strike squared the game and got him a booking for diving into the 1,500 wedge of travelling fans in Gran Canaria.

Both teams came into the fixture in poor form but Tenerife had the better of early play. Nano crashed a shot into the diving body of home goalie Raul after just 30 seconds. Las Palmas were keen to shoot from anywhere, Araujo headed over from some way out, and blasted a long strike over the bar. Malbasic got himself booked for a late tackle, earning him a top up suspension for Tenerife´s Friday night end to 2018. The Tenerife strikers must realise they are in danger of being discarded when the January transfer window opens, it didn´t show in their play, Nano produced a sloppy pass to Malbasic when something slicker was required, and the Serbian forward dithered when Carlos Ruiz found him with a better pass.

The Las Palmas goal was down to Camille, after 17 minutes the left back was beaten too easily by Fidel who set up Araujo for an simple finish. A quick response was needed, Nano, playing out on the right, put the ball across for Malbasic but his header was poor. Tenerife were struggling to make an impact and were getting caught up in some typically robust derby challenges. The best chance of levelling came late in the first half when a Bryan Acosta free kick veered off target. Carlos Ruiz showed some enterprise when he opened the second half with a long shot that just missed the post. The ref was a bit unpredictable, he gave Castro an undeserved free kick that Dani Hernandez tipped aside in style.
Raul Camara had to be replaced after 55 minutes after getting a knock in the mouth, Suso came on to bolster the attack as the back five became a four. Dani Hernandez denied Araujo again, and Camille made partial amends for his earlier error by heading out a dangerous home shot. Encouragement was on hand for Tenerife when Garcia handled the ball and was sent off for a second booking. Malbasic spurned another half chance and there was a delay as Nano was treated and then taken off after a heavy blow to the neck from Timor.

The previous week, the ref had denied Tenerife a clear penalty, with the arrival of VAR not due in the Second Division until next season, this weeks ref gifted Tenerife a penalty for a hand ball. It was a shocking mistake, if the defender had a hand where the ref said, he would be in a circus. After much arguing by the Las Palmas players and staff, Suso focused his mind and slotted the ball past the goalie. The captain´s reaction was all about his passion for his home island team, he was the first Tenerife born player to score in a derby game since 1989. The Nano injury and penalty row meant seven minutes of added time, Las Palmas feared it more than Tenerife. It could have been an away win, Acosta had an easy finish at the far post but skewed his shot wide just before the final whistle went. That still leaves Tenerife in 17th place and one point above the relegation zone.

Referee Ramos will find his mantle piece void of Christmas cards from CD Tenerife players and fans this festive season. More carrots with his turkey dinner are needed to improve his poor vision, he was the only person in the stadium who didn´t see Alex Barrera mug home sub Joao in the penalty area with 5 minutes left to play. As Joao did his best Victor Meldrew rant, the ref waved play on and the game ended 0-0 against Extremadura.
It was another poor home performance and with only two more games before the January transfer window, some players edged further towards the exit door. Defensively, CD Tenerife did well, Raul Camara put in a sprightly performance for the injured Luis Perez. Camille needed to lift his form after recent slack showings at left back, he looked much better, starting with a well timed kick out from an Extremadura header at the post. Camara made his mark with a robbing tackle on the Segunda Division top scorer, 14 goal Enric Gallego.

Suso was back in the starting line up, his threaded pass to Malbasic created the first home chance but the big Serbian striker shot at the keeper. Pardo wasted a clear opening by blasting the ball high and wide. Naranjo was looking his usual casual and ineffective self, a silly booking means he misses the derby game. Extremadura started the day just a couple of league places above Tenerife and needed a win, they were over reliant on Gallego and Alberto had him in his pocket for much of the game. Dani Hernandez also thwarted the hot shot by coming out to rob the ball off him. Suso and Naranjo both spurned decent late chances to leave the 9,313 crowd in low spirits at half time.

There was no lightning start to the second half so coach Oltra brought on Nano for the below par Montañes. The local born striker looked lively and could have scored within a minute after Malbasic powered through and slipped the ball across, Nano could only get a half touch to it. Some patient build up play from Tenerife hinted at better things but Undabarrena fired his shot skyward. Naranjo snapped out of his daydreams long enough to get behind the Extremadura defence and lay the ball off to Nano for a wayward header. The red and blues were uncomfortable with pace so Oltra added flying winger Joao in place of Suso. There was always a risk that chasing the game might let Extremadura in, Zarfino floated a cross in for Alabe to slide onto, Dani got his body behind the ball and blocked an attempt.

Joao looked odds on to at least test the goalie after weaving his way into the box, Barrera´s cynical charge was laughably obvious but the refs lack of action was far from funny. A late flurry could still have produced a winner. Gallego found some room and let the ball fly, Dani was down fast and covered the danger. Last Tenerife sub, Tyronne, got the ball to Malbasic on the left, he beat a defender before crossing into the centre, Nano´s shot was weak and easy meat for the keeper. It was a frustrating way to end the night, those goals just wont come, new strikers are needed, hopefully new sporting director, Victor Moreno, can conjure up a nugget in the transfer window.