Suso got his first goals, it was another clean sheet, and a killer instinct when it would have been easy to relax, all these things made the 4-0 home win over Marino de Luanco a very pleasing victory.
CD Tenerife always had the measure of their visitors, Suso showed his intent with a fierce shot cum cross that flashed wide of the goal after six minutes. A cross from the right by Suso found Loro and he too saw his shot drift wide. Marino haven’t held steady in sixth spot by luck but they were made to look ordinary by the hard working home side. Suso and Chechu ran the flanks making plenty of openings for Loro and Aridane, it took 42 minutes though for a square ball from Chechu to find Suso who grateful grabbed his first elusive goal back in Tenerife colours.
Yeary came on for Medina for the second half and pushed the team forward bringing an early turn aside from the Luanco keeper. Loro stubbed a clear chance and found a defender while at the other end Sergio finally got some exercise with two danger clearing punches. Aridane made way for Guillem who had a glaring miss before Loro increased the lead from a short Guillem pass in front of goal.
It was a comfortable win with 13 minutes to go so it was encouraging to see Tenerife push for further rewards. Suso looked less frantic with his duck broken and he latched onto a good ball from Yeray and tucked his shot just past him to make it 3-0. The 8,070 crowd were delighted with the score but in the final move of the game Guillem rode a tackle to complete the rout.
It’s the debt that can never be repaid, CD Tenerife owe so much to goalkeeper Sergio Aragoneses after another wonder show, this time to save a 1-1 draw at Coruxo after the team looked to be cruising. It was going to be a yummy main course after CD Marino impressed me with a 2-0 home win over Rayo Vallecano B but I ended up with football indegestion after a tense finish for Tenerife.
Llorente returned at left back and Chechu started as Suso sat out his suspension, Sergio got an early touch from a Iosu header but his opposite number Fernando was also warmed his gloves taking a hanging ball from Chechu as Aridane threatened to pounce. Tenerife had a major scare after 15 minutes when Ross stumbled and Iosu beat two defenders to chip the ball over Sergio and thankfully the bar as well.
Tenerife settled and Ros set up Cristo for a long shot that the home keeper tipped over on the half hour. Chechu tooka short corner to Cristo who had a shot, the keeper got a hand to the ball but it was not enough as it bounced up for Aridane to crash into the net for a 1-0 lead. It was refreshing to see the ref book home player Samuel for a theatrical fall as he looked for a soft penalty.
The second half opened with Fernando smothering a Loro effort, Aridane hooked a shot over the bar, and Loro had another go with a curling free kick the keeper caught – so far so good. Coruxo started to threaten, a free kick over the wall was mopped up by Sergio but he had no chance with the goal. A high loopung cross fell beyond the defence for Atunez to head down into the goal. The tide had turned but Sergio defied it all, as the CDT defenders lost their footing on the boggy pitch he was quick to snaffle the ball and Iosu had two great chances foiled first with a hand save and then an outstretched foot. Sub Guillem had a clear opening but struck his shot straight at the keeper and the last word went to Sergio with an acrobatic diving save from a long shot in injury time.
Earlier I had expected to see a demoralized and nervous CD Marino side but they were full of spirit and determination as they destroyed a poor Rayo team. Matias has been getting rave reviews in goal and a fingertip first minute save was the first of several classy stops. Balduino (above) led the attack like an old fashioned English forward and coolly rounded a defender for his first goal after 11 minutes. Just before half time Balduino was on target again this time after a good team break.
Sendings off and defensive errors have undone Marino this season but they looked solid in the second half and deserved more goals even before Rayo had a player sent off. Balduino made way for experienced striker Noah who continued to torment the visiting goalie with a charge that nearly caught him out and a hard shot that rebounded off the keeper to Jordan who fired over the bar.
There was plenty of hunger in the Marino ranks, Jordan blasted a shot straight at the keeper and Noah kept leading the charge with good support from midfield. Rayo woke up in the final minutes but Matias turned another effort over and Jordan made a strong blocking clearance to ensure a well deserved home victory.
Everyone has off days, this was a poor performance from CD Tenerife, especially in the first half but a 1-1 home draw with Getafe B makes it 11 games unbeaten. The visitors mean defence had only let in six goals all season and was going to be a tough nut to crack even if the midfield had been creating good chances for the home forwards. The Tenerife defence was a bit hesitant and normally reliable Moyano had his worst game at right back giving plenty of encouragement to the Getafe players. Jony got in behind the Tenerife defence after 10 minutes and Sergio had to halt the threat, a couple of minutes later the same player screwed a shot wide of the goal. Gomez shaped up for a shot, thankfully Inigo Ros slide tackled the ball clear.
There were home chances, Loro won the ball and set Suso off wide on the right, he cut inside but put his ball across the face of the goal found no takers.Tenerife seemed to be viewing this as the easiest of two successive home games, it was a dangerous attitude to adopt. Suso got booked and misses the next game and the fans thought he might get taken off at half time before his frustration earned another red card. Marti Guillem turned out to be the big change, on for Loro, and he looked hungrier and faster than his team mates. Cristo Martin had sight of goal but the Getafe keeper out jumped him to win the ball. The referee missed a lot of dodgy tackles by the visitors even those right under his nose. Chechu replaced Cristo and added more urgency to the play, Marti got plenty of close attention but battled well to make a break through. Suso had another good raid but when the goalie foiled him it was somehow given as a goal kick – more frustration for the 8,433 crowd. Samuel looped a shot over theTenerifebar and Medina launched a long range shot wide of the Getafe goal.
Marti charged again and tucked the ball back to Chechu who blasted it into the net for a 72 nd minute lead. Relief swept through the Heliodoro but as the last sub Bravo settled in for Aridane, the right side of theTenerifedefence was wide open and Arturo broke from the flank and put a powerful cross in that eluded Sergio and fell nicely to Samuel for an equalizer. It could have been worse as Moyano was missing again a few minutes later, Sergio had to race out and block an attack as Arturo loitered in front of the far post gazing into a gaping goal.
A draw was a fair result, we have been spoilt by a cracking start to the season and are judging the players against the high standard they have set. A surprise 3-1 defeat for Salamanca sees Tenerife 3 points clear at the top, a few tweaks will hopefully have us back on track for Coruxo away next Sunday. Fluctuations in form are nothing new to the Armada Sur after 20 years of loyal support, at the bar before the game The General was presented with a montage of photographic memories to mark the anniversary season – the current squad is still on course to add their own glowing chapter.
Another week, another win, and more new heroes as CD Tenerife beat second placed Real Aviles 1-0 in Santa Cruz. Jesus Alvaro came in to cover for the suspended Llorente at left back and had a cracking game including setting up the winning goal. Sergio Aragoneses is always steady and reliable in goal but excelled himself this week with a brilliant penalty save.
This was proper opposition, Real Aviles sat second in the table just behind CDT and looked a useful side when they refrained from rolling around like victims of an invisible sniper. Sergio had to be alert in the 9th minute to make a one handed save from a Aviles attack. Alvaro looked a little unsure at first but with Tarantino putting in another towering performance at the heart of the defence he grew in confidence especially after shielding the ball from Abraham near the corner flag and forcing the forward to give away a goal kick.
Loro saw a good chance deflect high and over the visitors goal but just before half time Alvaro attacked down the left, beat three defenders, and squared the ball for Aridane to add to his impressive tally. Suso could have increased the lead before the whistle but snatched at a near post shot. The industrious Suso had another half chance at the start of the second half when the ball fell just short of his control and the keeper was able to claim it.
As the rain began to pelt down Tarantino got booked for a hand ball in the box but Sergio pulled off a spectacular full length dive to save the penalty. Bruno nearly got his first goal of the season with a header that looped over the bar, Chechu replaced Cristo, Yeray came on for Alvaro, and Nico took over from Suso. Aridane made a good break and threaded a pass to Nico he was only able to poke the ball wide at full stretch.
Aviles finally realized that the game was still up for grabs but Sergio punched clear a late attack and easily picked out a hopeful cross to frustrate them. Despite the pounding rain there was a sunshine mood on the terraces as the 9,199 crowd counted down the final minutes – another job well done and the unbeaten run continues
The whole squad needs to be up to scratch if CD Tenerife are to escape Segunda B so a midweek friendly against Ibarra at El Fraile was the perfect setting to look at some of our fringe players.
Catching the bus over with Barnet Dave we made the short walk to the bar opposite the ground and met Kevin for a pre match Dorada. The first pleasant surprise was the 7 euro admission for the game, how different from CD Marino’s 15 euros for the Las Palmas friendly. Once inside it was clear we didn’t have that many players on duty, the training injury to Josmar will keep him out for 3 to 4 weeks but he still had his usual beaming smile as he sat on the terraces with German – not sure if he is also injured.
There were around 300 people present as the action kicked off, Roberto started in goal, other notable faces were Sergio Rodriguez at right back, Abel, Bravo and Jeremy in midfield, and Guillem Marti as the main striker supported by Nico. Ibarra are one of the better sides in the Preferente but Tenerife made them look poor, there was a good cohesion about our side.
Jeremy set up Nico for the opening goal and Abel added a second with a strong strike from outside the box. Marti was very aggressive up front and looked keen to prove his worth, Jeremy looked strong and confident and a good play maker. As the second half kicked off there were no wholesale changes, a good idea to make sure players got a much needed full run out. Ayoze Perez and Ayoze Placeres were the major changes and later Angel Galvan took over in goal. Junior scoring sensation Ayoze looked lively and went close to scoring several times.
By now the sun had set and the floodlights were on, trouble is they only have two pylons on one side so players were difficult to spot in the dark, I’m sure at one point I spotted Lord Lucan and Shergar prowling the touchline. Nico made it 3-0 and Jeremy (above) capped an impressive display with the fourth. A good workout and nice to hear several players knocking loudly on the first team door.
Not a weak link in sight, CD Tenerife turned on one of their finest squad performances as they swept Atletico Madrid B aside with a 4-0 pounding. While I am giving out plaudits, full marks to coach Alvaro Cervera for his tactics, The more experienced Tarantino was returned to the centre of defence and Suso was included in the starting 11 ahead of Chechu, the rewards were immediate.
In their first attack Suso opened up Atletico and served the ball up to Luismi Loro for a first minute opener. Stunned fans barely had time to praise their heroes before Aridane got in on the act to bang in his seventh strike of the season. The stadium was buzzing, Madrid had arrived as a team in form and Oliver Torres was supposed to be the best thing since free Dorada but Tenerife made sure his admiring scouts (and any Girl Guides) had a wasted trip.
Even in such irresistible form it would have been greedy to hope for more early goals but glory starved chicharreros never refuse another helping of classy football. Suso is like a fox in the chicken coop and as he worked his way into the box he was brought down and Loro gleefully converted the penalty, 3-0 and only 18 minutes on the clock.
There were signs that Atletico could be a useful side but Tenerife squeezed them and kept their chances to a bare minimum, Medina again played the holding role to perfection and Cristo Martin was always ready to prompt another attack. This wasn’t just about pretty football, there was plenty of good old fashioned hard work and players supporting each other.
Into the second half and Suso was relishing his running battle with defender Elbis, he won a corner that Loro just failed to convert. Cervera took the opportunity to give fringe players a run out, Josmar Zambrano got a big cheer when he came on for Loro and he was soon showing his cheeky skills running in from the left. Cristo Martin was fouled just outside the box and was unlucky to see his free kick go over the bar. Abel came on for Medina and Guillem Marti for Aridane and the play continued to flow.
Marti showed more hunger this week and he and Martin both went close to adding another goal. Marti had a strong run at goal in the final minute and was only stopped by a Saul foul, a second booking meant an early finish for the defender and as the ref pointed to the spot Marti placed the ball wide of the keeper to open his Tenerife goal account. It was nothing more than was deserved, the 8,471 crowd were lapping it up, this will send out a strong message to the other teams jostling for play off positions, Tenerife are determined to hold on to the leaders spot.
Two well worked goals and a solid team performance saw off a young talented Real Madrid C team with a 2-1 win in their own stadium. Prepare to faint – there was even a quality ref who let the game flow.
Medina got the nod ahead of Bravo and Abel to replace Yeray, suspended for two games, in the holding midfield role, Llorente returned at left back and Amado kept his place in the centre of defence ahead of Tarantino. Just three minutes into the match Cristo Martin put in a long deep cross from the left and found Loro who glanced the ball into the net with his head. Chechu looked back on form forcing a save from a Moyano (above) ball and hitting a short corner for Aridane to test the keeper after a flick on. Good moves were flowing, Loro found Chechu with a delicate lay off and his floated cross found Aridane to keep the goalie on his toes.
Llorente was again making runs up the left but was missing in action after 14 minutes leaving his flank wide open, a low pass eluded Sergio and Ramirez tapped the ball in to level. That stirred Madrid, Ramirez beat the static defence and it needed a touch from Sergio to send the ball for a corner, then Sobrino opened up the CDT back line, thankfully Sergio was on it again. Back came Tenerife, a looping corner from Chechu wasn’t far off target and Amado popped up in the box to go close. Cristo repeated his earlier bomb into the area but this time Aridane couldn’t quite reach it.
The second half started well, Loro’s shot was helped over the bar by a deflection, but the winning goal soon arrived. The ball broke to Inigo Ros in space, he took his time to pick out Chechu wide and admired the way his midfield team mate drilled the ball into the bottom corner of the net. There were still a few scares, Madrid flashed the ball across the Tenerife goal mouth and Llorente made two timely defensive interventions. Guillem Marti had already replaced Aridane and Suso swapped passing handshakes with Chechu. The first touch for Suso was to launch a raid and force a corner, Nico made his seasonal debut for Loro and also looked lively. The ref Lixandru , one of the youngest at 32 had been pleasingly invisible and when Ramirez launched himself into the Tenerife penalty box he wasn’t fooled by the dive – wonder who taught him that.
Nico and Marti both gave the home goalie some more practice, there was one last scare though in injury time as a home sub fired at Sergio who dropped the ball but recovered to scramble it away one handed. The win was fully deserved and loudly applauded by a good sprinkling of traveling fans.
A goal feast was expected but a flat performance left CD Tenerife to come from behind for a 1-1 home draw with lowly Zamora. It was all set up nicely with the visitors carrying the worst defensive record in our section but when did logic mean anything in football.
Chechu’s weak tap in front of a welcoming goal in the second minute set the tone for the game. The midfield was not creating chances and although Aridane battled as always, there were too few scraps for him to feed on, his first effort was parried by Sanchez but there was no follow up. Tenerife had a new look defence, Amado filled in for the injured Tarantino in the centre and Jesus Alvaro slotted in for the suspended Llorente at left back. They had few defensive duties to worry about, Jesus looked comfortable on the ball and went on the attack forcing two defenders to bundle the ball out of play.
Sanchez looked vulnerable in the Zamora goal, a one handed flap saved him and a charge out to rob Chechu also came to his rescue. Something bizarre happened on the half hour mark – some light rain crossed the stadium, the locals thought nothing of it but it left us parched southerners bewildered.
Loro got into a strong position for a header but put it wide and Aridane was pulled up short for offside when a half chance arose. Cristo Martin did his best to force the pace but twice he got clattered to the ground although the ref kept his whistle dry. Goal less at half time the 8,013 crowd had the nagging thought that Zamora might nick a goal. It only took seven minutes for Santos to do the unthinkable, Sergio Aragoneses saved but couldn’t hold the ball and Santos nipped in and slid the ball under him to grab the lead.
Suso came on for Yeray and added some urgency, a nifty cross into the box and Aridane quickly leveled with a header. Tenerife pressed forward but Sanchez found his best form in the visitors goal denying Suso with a one handed stop. Jeremy became the latest new boy for CDT when he replaced Cristo and again it provided a brief boost. Loro was unlucky when Sanchez got a hand to his shot, just enough to take the power off it so a defender could hook it clear.
Guillem Marti was added to the mix as Chechu went off, he looked nippy but didn’t have the power to force his way through the block defence of Zamora. The former Austrian league striker came close but the Zamora keeper just got a foot to the ball to keep it out. Well at least we didn’t get a player sent off the pitch – this week we managed one from the bench. The ref had previously been over to have a word but when he returned he sent Yeray to the dressing room with a straight red – presumably for mouthing off.
It was a stupid way to get sent off, the third red in three games and for Yeray a chance to lose his team place after impressing with some fine performances. Zamora had shut up shop and were very happy to settle for an away draw, thankfully the other top teams failed to win so Tenerife stay top but missed a great chance to pull away from their rivals.
Skill, pace, belief, and teamwork, all qualities that made CD Tenerife a pleasure to watch as they took Caudal Deportivo apart 2-0 to keep them top of Segunda B with four straight wins.
The final score didn’t reflect the dominance of Tenerife with every player adding something positive to the mix. Only some inspired saves from Caudal’s keeper Segura prevented any goals in the first half. Chechu was a constant menace on the right and exposed the visiting defence with two early raids. Caudal had little to offer against a tight home defence with Yeray doing a superb job of the holding role just in front of them, the only slight concern was a weak back pass from Llorente that Sergio dealt with easily.
After 20 minutes Loro turned quickly and fired in a shot that Segura dived to keep out. It was the start of a golden spell for the keeper as he denied Chechu twice, the second with an athletic full length spread. Loro flashed a header wide and Chechu looped a shot over the bar – what a charmed life Caudal were living. We thought we had a pretty decent ref but he rammed our compliments down our throats in the second half, Martin cursed as his promising break was cut short by a clumsy foul that was ignored.
Suso came on for Bruno for a short cameo role as he played the cat among Caudal’s defensive pigeons. Martin had a more productive run and as the visitors defence hesitated his pass found Chechu whose shot trickled teasingly slow over the line for the first goal after 61 minutes. Llorente was unlucky to see his effort from a free kick cleared by the goalies outstretched boot. Suso charged at the Caudal goal and squared the ball to Aridane who couldn’t quite get the killer touch but a few minutes later Suso tried again and this time Aridane converted perfectly for his fifth goal of the season.
The ref was unraveling fast and making some bizarre calls, Suso was on the receiving end with a second red card and he was heading for the dressing room after just 22 minutes of play. Caudal may have ejected CD Marino from the Copa del Rey but Tenerife were a far tougher proposition and even a man short they looked more than good enough to complete the win. The crowd was up nearly a thousand to 7,340 and if Tenerife can keep up this form and the pleasing style of football there will be more good times ahead.
Another win but nearly a harsh lesson as CD Tenerife went from coasting at 2-0 to hang on for a 3-2 win at Ourense. Tenerife were majestic for most of the game but relaxed in the second half and let their hosts back in with a shout. The first 15 minutes belonged to Ourense, Quintairos was a handful and Sergio Aragoneses had to be strong to gather the ball at his feet. Sangines also had a half chance but his weak header hardly tickled Sergio’s hands.
Moyano looks better with each game, his 16th minute intervention on Pillado in the penalty box was timed to perfection and straight after that he went on a run that ended with a cross into the danger area that out witted the defence and his team mates. Yeray was the surprise selection for the injured Medina and he forced a save with a glancing header after good work from Chechu and Martin.
Loro opened the scoring in style with a delicately stroked free kick into the top corner of the home net. Tenerife were in control now and the second goal was a real team effort. Moyano put the ball in from a deep position, Aridane brought it down for Martin and he touched it back to Aridane to slot past the keeper. Tenerife were lining up to shoot with Martin and Aridane have a dig before Loro shot wide.
Bruno made a great block to snuff out a raid by Quintairos early in the second half, Suso came on for Chechu and hustled the ball off a home defender before curling his effort just wide of the target. There was more frustration as Suso shrugged off two defenders only to see his shot bounce back off the post. The win seemed secure then but 2-0 is never enough and as Tenerife eased off Ourense came forward. Josu flashed a long ball across the goal mouth, Sergio did well to finger tip it over to safety. With five minutes left the ball came into the Tenerife area and Jona had a free header that left Sergio stranded. Another great move looked to have closed the door on Ourense, Suso put the ball into Aridane, he turned two defenders and passed to give sub Bravo a simple tap in. Even at 3-1 up and in injury time there was more drama, a free kick into the box and a hand ball penalty was called against Loro, Claudio put it wide of Sergio to reduce the arrears just before the final whistle blew.
Tenerife are staying in mainland Spain through to Wednesdays Copa del Rey match at Alcoyano so they will have plenty of free time to mull over today’s lessons. It was still a fine win and the squad is developing nicely, new striker Guillem Marti may well get his debut along with several changes on Wednesday.