Aritz Garai Lopez was shocked to be sacked after his patched up CD Tenerife side ground out a 1-1 home draw with Cadiz, the nine points clear top team. Alvaro Cervera, the visiting coach probably wasn´t, he was sacked four years ago after rescuing Tenerife from the doldrums of Segunda B. That´s 18 coaches in 14 years.

Injuries decimated the Tenerife line up. Luis Milla, Luis Perez, and Alex Bermejo, the best players at the club, led the injury parade. Shaq Moore, a left sided defender struggled at right back but even so, veteran captain Suso gave Tenerife a shock 11th minute lead from a Mierez set up. Just before that, home goalie Ortola had saved from Sanchez. Carlos Ruiz, another veteran was at the heart of the home defence, he had been pressed into service due to the poor displays of Sipcic. The Serbian was warming the bench along with Dos Santos, an equally poor defender brought in a year before by the Sporting Director. I´m not trying to make you weep for the departed coach, just enlighten you to why the Tenerife coaching job chews them up and spits them out.

Back at the game, hope was springing eternal, even the return of Honduras striker Choco Lozano, this time in a yellow shirt, wasn´t offering as much threat as was expected. Cadiz did rattle the home crossbar but the midfield pairing of Undabarrena and Alberto slowed their progress and Munoz was playing well alongside Ruiz. Borja was the spark going forward and had two decent strikes at goal. Mierez was picked ahead of Malbasic, he did well holding up the ball but he doesn´t shoot enough and the lack of goals has been one of the main causes of Tenerife´s slump. Just after the half hour Moore was exposed at the post and the ball came loose for Mauro to pop in for the equaliser.
Tenerife didn´t drop their heads, they came out for the second half eager to get at Cadiz. Nahuel looked tired with his socks at half mast but still made his powerful charges like a rhino answering the dinner gong.

Suso was fired up, he roasted his marker and took the ball to the line before hooking it back to Mierez, but he reacted slowly and a defender cleared the danger. Nano, another former Tenerife player came on as sub but didn´t offer much. Negative substitutions is one charge levelled at Lopez, the coach showed ambition this week by adding Dani Gomez for Borja. Alberto picked up a booking, totting him up to a suspension next game, a nice welcome for the new boss. Javi Alonso took over from Undabarrena, and Malbasic entered the attack in place of Suso. Mierez squandered two late chances with a header and a wide strike. In the end a valiant point looked like some sort of platform for the coach to build from. There were no calls for the coach to go from the 9,860 crowd but he had been warned that a defeat would see the end of him, it turned out a few hours later that even a draw couldn´t save him. Terrace calls for the club President to go have been a feature all season, a new takeover bid for the club is gathering momentum and may have played a part in the sacking but patience has never been a virtue at CD Tenerife.

There’s just no stopping dynamic forwards, Zeben Buades and Nami. A goal each steered CD Marino through a niggling game at home to CD Vera for a 2-0 win to open a four point lead in their Tercera Division group.
For much of the first half Marino were frustrated by the disjointed pattern of the game, thanks to a weak ref and some exaggerated reactions to tackles by both sets of players. The yellows from the north of Tenerife favoured a big punt of the ball but their accuracy left their front men chasing lost causes. Nami´s early long ball was more tempting for Marino as it fell just in front of inrushing Zeben, but he sliced it over the Vera bar.

Zeben and Makana tussled for a loose ball that brought a free kick for the yellows, an easy take for David in goal. Meshack was ready to use his size to pressure the home defence but another wide ball only brought a corner. Mechi took it short and set Barcos up for a shot that missed the post. Charni was strong in the centre of defence for Marino, when Meshack shaped up for a shot, the defender played the ball out calmly to diffuse the danger.

Marino worked hard to take control of the action, Stephane offered good options on the left wing and towards the end of the half he swapped to the right to keep the visiting defence off guard. Nami snapped a low shot in which found Alibey alert between the posts. The half ended with a confident penalty shout from Vera for pulling when Meshack went down in the box. The ref just waved their demands away. Simon tested David with a neat shot as the second half started but it soon switched to the other end where Alberto slipped the ball through. Nami turned on the spot and swung a boot at the ball but it lacked power and Alibey had it covered.

An hour gone and Marino made the breakthrough. Alberto made good progress down the right and put in a tempting low cross, Zeben cruised in and tapped the ball past the keeper to make it 1-0. The goal maker departed soon after as last seasons top scorer Ahmed returned from a spell in Belgium. The striker looked a bit rusty but it´s a frightening thought for the rest of the league to know Marino are going to increase their goal threat. There was still a lot of work to do to ensure the win. Meshack broke clear and only had David to beat but the goalie came out and narrowed the angle before blocking his attempt.

Home coach Kiko de Diego, encourages his players to be versatile and support each other. Antonio Samuel demonstrated that well as the left back overlapped and made a great pass into the path of Nami who buried the ball in the back of the net for the second goal with just under 20 minutes to play. Nami went close to adding a third goal, his shot was only half saved but scrambled away. Vera were still hoping for a way back, when Diego lost the ball in defence they were ready to pounce before Charni made a saving tackle. This wasn´t Marino on top form but their work rate and self belief served them well.

Getting to the top of the table is only half the battle. CD Marino are a prized scalp now for every opponent and sometimes they will have to grind out results if they want to win the big prize. A sixth minute penalty goal conceded showed that second from bottom AU Guimar hadn´t travelled down the Tenerife motorway just to be the supporting act. Discipline, hard work, and character were the ingredients that enabled the blues to reel in the points to remain three points clear of the chasing pack.

Samuel´s rash tackle on Esau was converted by Pablo and Guimar were fired up. Andy was popping up all across the front line, he fed the ball to Ethan, David made sure he gathered the shot. Marino took a breath and built from the back, Nami got into his stride and coasted past Pablo, his cross was met by incoming Zeben whose offside shot went straight at goalie Hernandez. Zeben had locked onto his target now, even a shot on the turn after being knocked to the ground, was only just wide. Alberto from the left stung Hernandez hands, he made it safe with the second grab. Kike and Nata were formidable in the centre of the Guimar defence but Juanito was struggling to cope with the pace of Nami who left him chasing shadows time and time again.

Zeben timed his bursts through the middle expertly, Guimar could sense him coming but couldn´t stop him. Diego showed he had his shooting boots on too, a rocket shot from deep only veered off the target at the last moment. Just after the half hour the breakthrough came. It was the Nami, Zeben combination again, the finish from Zeben gave Hernandez no chance. Jaime tried to follow up to take the lead, he was through on the right before a Kike challenge denied him a shot. Half time was fast approaching when home captain Saavedra ran onto a though ball and buried it with a powerful header. The blues looked mightily relieved to go off with their noses in front.

Credit to Guimar, they came back out with positive intentions, a Kike free kick kept David alert in goal and the arrival of sub Jesua added to the physical side of their game. Marino pressed forward, Zeben saw his shot heading for goal before Hernandez made a fine one handed save. Jesua was strong in the air, it took a well timed headed clearance from Nikki to to prevent him getting a clear aim. Nami tried to catch Hernandez unaware with a low drive, the keeper got his body behind it for a safe block. It was still a wide open game and two penalty claims added to the drama. Roy was a constant threat to Guimar, as he ran through a cluster of defenders, Pablo closed in and made a lunging tackle in the box. The ref waved away the Marino penalty claims. At the other end the Guimar defenders were supporting the attack, Juanito came in on the left and went down tackled by Nikki. The Guimar bench rose in protest but the ref still wasn’t tempted to give another spot kick.

It was a nervous finish to the game, Jaime tried to chip Hernandez and just cleared the bar, and when Nami had a clear sight of goal for Marino, his strike was wild and high. The final minutes ticked away and the final whistle was a welcome sound for Marino.

No win in six games, no goals scored in four of those last six games. Home form is woeful, more like an allotment shed than a fortress. The good news is the defence has tightened up and combined well to blunt 4th place Huesca for a 0-0 home draw. CD Tenerife played reasonably in the first half but despite making 10 summer signings, the squad hasn´t got enough depth, especially in the firing line. A sending off for left back Mazan will stretch things further, and every injury or booking must send spasms of despair through coach Aritz Lopez Garai.

Missing midfield kingpin Aitor Sanz, suspended, and live wire left sided forward Alex Bermejo, injured, ripped the heart out of the home side. Dani Gomez started as the central striker, he showed his pace, cutting in from the right and beating the Huesca defender, but his finish into the side netting showed his lack of maturity. Local youth product, Cristo Gonzalez was back in town via Real Madrid B and a summer transfer to Udinese in Serie A, he joined former Leicester City player Okazaki, and Mikel Rico in a three pronged Huesca attack. Luis Perez marked Cristo´s card, robbing him of the ball in his first surge, and saw off another ex home player, Juan Carlos Real a few minutes later.

Malbasic had a home try at goal, he found goalie Fernandez waiting with a helping hand to flick the ball away. A soft header from Sipcic at a corner did little more than tickle the keepers gloves. Huesca looked the more dangerous team, Alberto was back to something like his best form in the midfield holding role, his cool interception on Rico drew an appreciative response from the 9,686 crowd. The best chance of the first half belonged to full back Miguelon for the away side, his long curling strike just cleared the join of the post and bar.

Tenerife fans were hoping for a concerted assault on Huesca after the break but it didn´t come. Ortola was down quickly to save on the floor when the visitors threatened, the ball rebounded out to Okazaki whose hard drive was blocked by the Tenerife centre backs, Sipcic and Munoz. Nahuel was having a quiet game, he managed to make an encouraging opening for Gomez but the ball raced ahead of the young striker. The Tenerife squad has a shortage of home grown talent so it was pleasing to see Adeje 21 year old Javi Alonso take over Alberto´s role after 70 minutes. Hopes of a grandstand finish were crushed when Mazan fouled Miguelon, the ref brandished a second yellow card and he was off. American defender Shaq Moore got a run out for Gomez, that signalled an acceptance to hunker down for the draw. Just into November and frustrated supporters sights are already on the January transfer window as the team stagnates in 17th position.

Attacking flair and great finishing built a 3-1 home lead for CD Tenerife but Racing Santander snatched a 3-3 draw as basic defensive errors undid all their good work. Wearing their pink away kit at home to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Day was a nice gesture from the Santa Cruz club and it matched their blushes as they tormented their fans with their big throwaway.

A big statement of intent was needed to lift the home fans, an early shot from former Tenerife midfielder Kitoko was a warning to not underestimate the third from bottom visitors. Just 12 minutes into the action, a fast, slick build up saw Alex Bermejo drop a well flighted ball over the Racing defence for Malbasic to slip it under goalie Luca Zidane. The 21 year old loanee from his famous fathers club had plenty to worry about as Nahuel showed he was equally at home on the right as on his normal left wing, and Bermejo always looked threatening on the other flank. A long free kick from the Racing full back was taken comfortably by Ortola but Tenerife were enjoying themselves as the heavy rain poured down.

Luis Perez was having another superb game from right back, he had the vision and the speed to reach a lay off from Nahuel and cut it back for Bermejo to give Zidane no chancewith a sweet strike. This was more like it, the 8,525 crowd sensed the chance to kick start the slumping season. Then came the first big lapse, Alberto only had to do kick the ball out of play to stop Lomardo near the post, but he tried to over think it and the striker made him look like a novice as he buried the ball in the net. That gave the half time break a whole different complexion. At least Tenerife regained their superiority five minutes after the restart when Luis Perez was outstanding again, this time scooping a lost ball back from the byline into the path of Borjs Lasso for a bullet header.

Just six minutes later a slack kick out from Ortola was fumbled by Alberto and Lombardo pounced to march through and reduce the arrears. Borja was ploughed down by a Racing player and after a few minutes of discomfort, was replaced by Aitor Sanz. Suso came on for Nahuel, those moves robbed the team of two of the main play makers, and the arrival of striker Mierez for Malbasic weakened the goal threat. Tenerife should have pressed harder, Zidane kept wandering far out of his goal, he needed to be pressured more. It all made for a nervous last 30 minutes. Suso charged inside but was fouled by Olaortua, and that was about the best chance Tenerife had of putting more distance between the two sides. Racing had six players booked, all that card flashing added up to four extra minutes, and it wasn´t pretty.

Luis Milla broke on the left with two players coming up in support, he tried to do too much on his own and lost the ball after running it on too far. Then in the last 30 seconds a gifted Racing free kick sailed over and was headed past a slow Ortola by Yoda. Home fans trudged out with the whiff of a defeat in their nostrils – that´s how it felt. Slipping down to 19th spot, after match talk was of coaching responsibilities, and out of form players like Milla and Alberto.

An inspired switch by coach Kiko de Diego gave Zeben Buades a more central attacking role and he exploited it to the full to plunder a hat trick that blew apart UD San Fernando 4-2 to keep CD Marino two points clear at the top of their Tercera Division group.

Nami, the usual main striker revelled in more of a roaming role and the two forwards complimented each other. Within the first ten minutes Zeben had curled a shot over the bar, and Nami had forced a low save at the post. Fermin, in goal for the Gran Canaria side, looked unsure when racing out wide to clear another Nami threat. San Fernando, tucked in the chasing pack behind Marino, had their moments, Abraham was dangerous down the left but Saavedra was on top form in the blues rear guard and cleared the danger. Abraham was soon back for another go, this time his shot was repelled by home keeper David.

Saavedra was having an influence on both ends of the pitch, a well timed tackle stopped Fran in his tracks, and his long ball picked out Zeben, forcing Fermin to make a sliding interception. Nikki had a couple of good chances, the best one was just wide of the yellows post. A home goal was inevitable, after the 30 minute water break, a right cross bobbled along the San Fernando goal line before being crashed in by Zeben. The yellows ended the half with a strong attacking spell and carried it on after the break to level the game as Alejo made good progress down the right to set up Quintero for their goal. It was vital that Marino closed the door on their opponents, Samuel´s break down the left found Zeben eager and waiting to restore the home lead. The killer blow came when Nami stretched the yellows defence and passed to Zeben who skipped past the outstretched hand of the goalie for an easy tap in to complete his treble.

Despite a double substitution,San Fernando struggled to find a way back as Marino tightened the screw. Samuel made Fermin work hard to flick away a free kick, Nami was close to tucking in the loose ball. Marino made their own changes with Santi Ramirez and Bamba both getting late run outs. Diego played a key role in the final home goal, he found space on the right and sent an inviting ball in to Nami, his finish was deserved reward for his hard work all game. There was just pride for San Fernando to play for, in the closing minutes, sub Ojeda tried his luck with a curling shot into the roof of the home goal for a consolation. Marino were convincing winners, everyone is pulling together and playing a full part in the overall strength of the team

With a second consecutive 3-0 win, CD Marino served notice that they are top of their Tercera Division group on merit and ready to repel all challengers. Last weeks triple came at Union Puerto, this week Villa Santa Brigida from Gran Canaria felt the full force of well organised, confident, and hard working team display.

Santa Brigida may have been at the foot of the table but they were a big, strong side willing to attack from the off. Their direct style caused a few early problems and just 10 minutes into the game Rodo slipped the home defence and fired at the open goal. David flew across the line and tipped the shot aside. Marino took the warning on board and clicked into top gear, Diego picked out Samuel on the left and the visitors defence had to make a swift clearance. Charni carved out an opening, a pass to Zeben in space might have produced the blues opener, instead a shot went straight to Jonay in goal. Samuel had too much pace for the Brigida defence, he ran onto a well measured floated ball from Roy but could only crash it into the side netting.

Nami was purposeful and mobile up front, he left three defenders in his wake as he headed for goal before setting Roy up for a free header. Brigida were already floundering, Uday tried a quick break only to find Nikki waiting to win the ball from him at right back. Even marking Marino players was proving tough, Samuel continually sped down the left to beat their offside trap, a clever chip nearly broke the deadlock. Staying alert is helping Marino to close out opponents, when captain Santo tried to break free, David was equal to his shot and cleared it with his finger tips. A home goal was long overdue as half time approached, a short corner found Samuel and he showed he´s not just about speed, he swept the ball under the crossbar and into the net with a powerful strike for a 1-0 lead at the break.

Samuel couldn´t wait to get back on the pitch, two more of his close efforts opened the second half. Brigida were under siege, a series of corners brought their reward when Uday turned the ball into his own net after 51 minutes. There should have been a third goal soon after, Jonay got his whole body behind a shot to keep the score down. Alberto was the first home change when Zeben went off, the visitors managed a brief spell on the attack, it was little more than a breather as Marino stormed back. There are plenty more young players eager to break into the Tenerife south team, when Samuel went off, Brigida might have hoped to catch their breath, that was not an option as Sergio, brother of Nikki, added his sprints to the right flank. Stephane took over from Roy and bolstered the left wing, his first touch was a corner for Charni to head wide.

A clean sheet and a couple of goals would have done most teams, Marino weren´t about to ease off early. A slick move from the right produced a great combination as Nikki fed his brother Sergio to round the defence and supply a perfect set up for Nami to reflect his teams superiority with a final goal just before the whistle. Marino are now two points clear of second spot, and two more ahead of third.

Home is where the heartache is after two poor defeats at the Heliodoro Stadium in four days for CD Tenerife. It highlighted their worrying Santa Cruz form, especially when compared to a rich vein of wins on their travels. Real Oviedo and Extremadura both made a nonsense of their lowly positions to plunder six points and leave Tenerife’s aspirations in tatters.

Embraced and escorted off the pitch by jubilant team mates, Real Oviedo goalie Champagne had the last laugh for again playing the clown on a visit to CD Tenerife. Home fans would also point to a delayed and disputed VAR penalty denial that played a part in the 0-1 Wednesday night defeat to the win less, bottom placed visitors. Even the long established inability to beat “inferior” teams, and failure to establish winning streaks were mentioned but Tenerife were sloppy, negative, shot shy, and so easy for their orange shirted visitors to wind up.

Coming off a wonderful 1-4 win at Lugo, confidence should have been overflowing but Oviedo had the first decent chance. Barcenas drifted in from the right to slice a shot wide of the home goal. Malbasic and Mieroz were getting in each others way up front for Tenerife and Bermejo was not at his scintillating best of previous weeks. Ortuño was looking dangerous and wasn´t too far off target with his free kick. After 24 minutes there was a near copy of the lone goal in the previous home defeat. A well measured ball from Sangall outstripped Carlos Ruiz and found Barcenas who shrugged off Luis Perez and fired the ball under the diving Ortola.

A quick break and Borja Lasso headed a shot at the Oviedo goal, a defender blocked it with his hand, his reaction and the refs instant point to the spot signalled a penalty. VAR had other ideas, and highlighted a Tenerife offside pass way back in the build up, and after the usual drawn out wait, the spot kick was cancelled. The half time feeling in the stands was still that Tenerife had the fire power (9 goals in the last 3 away games) to stick the form book back together. A sniff of a win was all Oviedo needed, out came the diving, delaying, and disrupting tactics. Nahuel came on for Bermejo, and Suso for Mierez to change the home front line. Nahuel gave a much better account of himself after his dismal debut in the last home game. The Argentinian left winger teased the away defence and opened them up but there were no finishers waiting. Suso worked the ball in from the right and passed it across to Malbasic, his neat back heel was a bright idea but couldn´t find a team mate.

Champagne was having problems with gravity, after several theatrical falls he got booked, it didn´t stop him from gathering the ball from the pending header of Aitor Sanz. The keeper followed that with some early pantomime as he fell to the ground in the shadow of his diving defender, maybe he was just showing solidarity. Dani Gomez was a late replacement for Sanz, Champagne snatched a half chance from Malbasic but even the added VAR time couldn´t yield a home goal, for the third time on the trot.

It was an attack minded line up a few nights later against Extremadura. Naranjo was the surprise recall in a more central role, with Mieroz benched, and Nahuel holding his left wing spot as Bermejo slotted in just slightly deeper. Hope hardly had time to get comfortable before an Alex Diaz high ball into the box, Carlos Ruiz, one of three close defenders, missed a tackle on Zarfino who gratefully tucked the ball into the home net. Luis Perez tried for a quick reply, setting up Bermejo for a wayward header, Naranjo was also wasteful, turning an easy nod in, into a glaring miss. Extremadura were basking in their lead and tested Ortola who produced a late punch clear of his goal. It was VAR time at the other end as Munoz squeezed a Naranjo pass in at the post, as the keeper scrabbled in vain to stop it crossing the line. There was just time to bake a cake or write a novel before technology told the ref to give the thumbs up for the equaliser.

There was no time to relax for Tenerife, Willy was bearing down on the home goal, Munoz showed his quality with a snappy interception to clear the danger. Pastrana was denied by another diving save by Ortola, and Rocha exposed Carlos Ruiz and was grateful to Perez for mopping up. Second half nerves were jangling as Ortola spilled a shot just after the restart but a counter attack saw Bermejo clear the bar from a Naranjo pass. Malbasic was getting involved more even if his shot was too weak to trouble the goalie. On the hour Borja Lasso came on for the subdued Luis Milla, it added some urgency and woke up Nahuel whose pass to Mazan forced some stern defending. Dani Gomez was a straight swap for Malbasic when maybe an extra striker would have been a risk worth taking. Naranjo never fails to depress, he wasted good build up work from Munoz with a weak finish, even his recent weeks of obscurity hadn’t sharpened his appetite.

Disaster followed as Extremadura sub Nono dispatched a penalty, after Carlos Ruiz had held him back with 15 minutes left. The final home change brought Mierez on, he did add a threat in the air but Bermejo giving way for him was a costly sacrifice. Tenerife piled on late pressure but their aim hadn’t improved. Naranjo should have ensured himself another lengthy spell in mothballs after another soft attempt on goal. Gomez was lively but couldn’t convert good positioning into the finished product. Just four minutes of injury and VAR time were added, long enough for Borja Lasso to pull Alex Lopez back and convert a booking into a sending off, his second in just over a month. It was just another blow for the 9,876 crowd as three more home points evaporated into the night air. There are goals in this squad, at least on away soil, but the mental block at home is feeding frustration and the team slipped into 16th place.

Player and tactical innovations are all well and good, as long as you don’t overlook the basics. Coach Aritz Lopez Garai made surprise changes after impressive away performances, giving full debuts to American right back Shaq Moore, and Argentinian left winger Nahuel Leiva. Newly promoted Fuenlabrada were much less adventurous but played a hard, frustrating style and nicked a 0-1 win with a late opportunist goal.

Sitting fourth in the table, the reds showed no fear of their hosts, Juanma tested Tenerife with an early long drive, Ortola dived well to tip it aside. Moore was following the coach’s attacking philosophy but didn’r have the speed to recover as well as Luis Perez, the man he had displaced. On the other flank, Nahuel looked well off the pace, he only got a few games on loan at Deportivo last season and his fitness and contribution were poor. Mierez continued to look the part as the central striker, shielding and controlling the ball well but he couldn’t get a clean shot on goal. Malbasic was having a running battle with Glaudar, who blocked his effort when trying to tuck the ball goal side of the post.

There was still an air of confidence from the 11,291 crowd going into the second half. Tenerife crashed a free kick straight at a defensive wall and it was clear that changes were needed to add a bit more punch. Captain Suso was a strange choice for the first sub, Alex Bermejo would have been a better left sided option to replace Nahuel. The departing player sulked off snarling without the usual slap of hands for the players on the bench, he had already upset the club by announcing his summer arrival on social media weeks ahead of the official announcement. Luis Perez took to the pitch a minute later to relieve Moore, with Malbasic trying his luck on the left and Suso in his usual right channel.

It wasn’t making enough difference, Mierez had a shout for a penalty when bundled over in the box but the ref’s attention was on a tussle at the corner flag. The striker then made way for Dani Gomez but the killer blow arrived with the ref again failing to act. A long ball from Fuenlabrada caught the home defence cold expecting an offside whistle. Salvador was sharp and shook off a half tackle from Alberto before slipping the ball past Ortola for the lead. It was poor defending, Tenerife didn’t show enough spirit or confidence to get back into the game, even with five minutes injury time added on. Robert Mazan found time to get sent off for telling the ref what he thought of him, getting booked, and then immediately confirming his opinion to double up to a red card.

Plenty for the Tenerife coach to chew over this week, seven games gone, his first real criticisms, players smiles slipping, and the new ex Spurs Brit, Samuel Shashoua still not fit. No one said it would be easy.

Reinventing themselves means smashing a few old barriers, poor away form was always a problem for CD Tenerife but 4 points from an early Sunday start in Albacete, and a Thursday evening at Elche was a massive boost.
Finding their groove, CD Tenerife were easy like a Sunday morning as they romped to a 0-4 win at Albacete. Easy on the eye wth cool, assured team play, there were towering performances all over the pitch. Coach Aritz Lopez Garai was purring as his plans came together thanks to the inclusion of two more summer signings.
Ramon Mierez started as the central striker and led the line confidently, and Alex Munoz made his bow in the centre of defence and was a calming influence on those around him. The reshuffle saw Malbasic out on the right, his opening minute run and cross caused havoc in the home defence for Alex Bermejo to finish the move clinically for a goal to add to his previous weeks eye catching performance. Munoz is also experienced in the left back berth and covered well to release Robert Mazan for some lightning raids. There was only 13 minutes on the clock when a Borja Lasso corner from the right flew over to a deep left position where Mazon cracked a quality goal into the bottom corner of the net. Albacete had their moments, a high right cross looked threatening before goalie Adrian Ortola plucked the ball out of the air one handed. This was dreamland, even when Malbasic had a hesitant shot blocked as unmarked Borja Lasso was screaming for the pass, it was a mere wrinkle in the master plan.

Into the second half, Ortola robbed a danger ball off a home forwards head, and Mierez hit a post as the work rate never relented. Borja was typical of the effort the Tenerife players were pouring in, he unlocked the hosts defence and Mierez sneaked in for a cheeky close header that even VAR couldn´t deny to make it 0-3 after 72 minutes. Tenerife had the luxury of being able to give substitute run outs to two more of the summer brigade. Dani Gomez beat his marker and drilled his shot between defenders to round up the scoring just prior to the end of normal time. Nahuel Leiva, a left winger who squeezed in just before the transfer window closed, also got a brief taste of the action to bring competition for all places a step nearer. This was one of the most impressive Tenerife displays for many years.

Moving on to Elche, hopes were high but the home side, inspired by ex Tenerife goal legend Nino, gave them a tough start. Luis Milla returned from suspension to allow veteran midfielder Aitor Sanz a rest. Nino forced a corner after 8 minutes and Quasma got a boot in behind Carlos Ruiz to grab a home lead. Tenerife lost their shape briefly but rallied with Malbasic strong down the right and Alberto dominant in midfield. A delightful cross field ball from left back Mazan to righ back Luis Perez deserved a decent finish but the best chance came near the end of the first half. A Luis Milla free kick dropped into a crowded goal mouth and Alex Munoz got a head to it but the ball skidded out off the post.

Dani Gomez replaced Mierez for the second half and revitalised the away chase. After 63 minutes another Malbasic cross was met by a powerful Borja header to level the score. Tenerife bossed the remainder of the game, Alex Bermejo had a couple of golden moments, only the goalies faint touch stopped the best one. Elche appealed for a hand ball and penalty with 15 minutes to go but the hairs on the hand of Carlos Ruiz got no more than a passing breeze, and the VAR call confirmed that. Ortola´s confident interception of a cross in the 5 minutes of injury time sealed a deserved point and continued a surge in the right direction.