Spanish Second Division "A": LaLiga2, 2019-2020

[AlanK]

The top and the drop after Jornada 34 is complete

1. Cádiz--------------61 points; +45-32 Next at Huesca--Game of the Week.
2. Zaragoza-----------58 points; +49-36 At Extremadura.
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3. Almería------------56 points; +54-33 Hosts Alcorcón.
4. Huesca------------54 points; +45-37 Hosts Cádiz.
5. Elche--------------50 points; +44-36 Hosts Dépor.
6. Girona-------------49 points; +40-36 Hosts Numancia.
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7. Rayo---------------48 points; +44-36 Hosts Sporting.
8. Mirandés-----------48 points; +47-47 At Tenerife.
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17. Albacete-----------39 points; +27-40 Hosts Las Palmas.
18. Dépor-------------38 points; +33-51 At Elche.
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19. Numancia----------38 points; +37-41 At Girona.
20. Lugo--------------37 points; +31-45 Hosts Málaga.
21. Extremadura-------33 points; +32-46 Hosts Zaragoza.
22. Racing------------29 points; +33-44 At Ponferradina.

[AlanK]

Today begins Jornada 35 due to some strange scheduling (First Division started the new jornada yesterday); today's games 23 June

1930 Elche 0, Dépor 1 Elche is in fifth place; a loss could knock them out of the playoff spots. Dépor is above the drop on H2H over Numancia. Scoreless first half in the Martínez Valero. HUGE win for Dépor, now three points above the drop. Elche is fifth, could drop three places with this loss if the teams closest to them all win.

1930 Lugo 0, Málaga 0 Lugo is in the drop, but just a point back of the lowest team not in the drop; they would catch Málaga at 40 points with a win; any win gives them H2H vs Málaga since these two tied 1-1 in the Rosaleda earlier this season. Scoreless first half in the Anxo Carro. And it ends scoreless. Lugo is still in the drop, two places and one point back of the lowest team not in the drop. Málaga is 15th, three points above the drop.

2145 Extremadura 1, Zaragoza 2 in the second half. Nothing is settled mathematically yet, but Extremadura's chances of avoiding the drop seem to be slim and none: they've won only seven games of 34 all season, and are now five points and three places back of the lowest team not in the drop. Beating Zaragoza looks like too steep a hill to climb . . . but where there's life, there's hope! Zaragoza is second, two points back of Cádiz, but more importantly they are just two points ahead of Almería in the quest for direct promotion. Alex Alegría gives the home team the lead at 8', but Zaragoza comes back behind Raul Guti at 24' to tie and then goes ahead in the second half on a goal by Luis Suárez at 53'--1-2 in progress. Zaragoza holds on to win and catch Cádiz atop LaLiga2; Cádiz stays in first place with H2H in their favor.

[AlanK]

Today's games--24 June

1930 Girona 2, Numancia 0 Girona is in sixth place, the last playoff spot; they would rise to fifth with a win. A loss could end up dropping them as much as three places. Numancia is now the top of the drop. A win would lift them above Albacete, at least until later today. Samu Sáiz at 3' and Stuani at 45'+1' give Girona a two goal advantage at the half in Montilivi. And 2-0 is how it ends. Girona is now fifth; Numancia remains the top of the drop, tied with Lugo for that spot.

1930 Huesca 1, Cádiz 1 Game of the Week. Huesca has the best at-home record in LaLiga2: 12-2-3. Huesca is fourth; they can't end the jornada lower than fourth, and a win would lift them to third place, at least until Almería plays tomorrow. Cádiz leads the league, but only on H2H against Zaragoza at the moment. Scoreless first half in El Alcoraz. At 65', Okazaki gives Huesca the lead, which holds up until 97' , when Alex converts a pk for Cádiz. Home team will end the jornada in fourth place; Cádiz takes back sole possession of first place--by one point over Zaragoza.

1930 Tenerife 4, Mirandés 1 Tete is now five points above the drop; they have a way to go to be able to challenge for a playoff spot, but that's not unthinkable. Mirandés is in eighth place, one point back of the last playoff spot. Aitor Sanz at 8' and Milla with a pk at 14' give Tete a 2-0 lead at the half in the Heliodoro. André cuts the margin to 2-1 at 47', but Tete commences to blow out the visitors with goals by Dani Gómez at 64' and Milla--his second of the day--at 96'. Tete at the moment has risen to 10th place; Mirandés is still two points back of the last playoff spot.

2145 Albacete 0, Las Palmas 0 El Alba is one point above the drop--they need this one in the worst way The Canaries have come to life, winning their last two games to climb to within four points of the last playoff spot; they are seven points above the drop. Scoreless tie in the Carlos Belmonte. El Alba is now two points above the drop; Canaries are four points back of a playoff spot.

2145 Ponferradina 1, Racing 1 Ponfe is ninth, two points shy of the last playoff spot. Racing is mired in last place, ten points back of the lowest team not in the drop. Racing takes the lead at 9', as Nando scores--0-1. Ponfe ties at 29', as Yuri scores--1-1, which in the final in the Toralín. Ponfe misses a huge chance to pull even on points with sixth-place Elche.

[AlanK]

Today's games--25 June, as Jornada 35 draws to a close

1930 Almería 0, Alcorcón 1 Almería is third, five points back of second place, which carries direct promotion to First Division for next season. Almería is currently one point ahead of fourth-place Huesca. Alcor is in a log-jam in mid-table at 45 points, five points shy of a playoff spot and seven points above the drop. They continue to be unbeaten on the road this season--can they continue this remarkable statistic today in the Juegos Mediterráneos Is Alcor gonna do it yet again They're up at the half--0-1 as Ernesto scores at 45'. Is Alcor unbelievable or what They did it again, running their road record to 7-11-0, and climbing to ninth place in the bargain, two points back of the last playoff spot.

1930 Rayo 1, Sporting 1 Rayo is seventh, two points back of the last playoff spot and ten points above the drop. Sporting comes off the home loss to Oviedo in the Derby Asturiano, which means they'll be out for blood. Sporting is part of the log-jam at 45 points. These two tied 1-1 in the Molinón in Jornada 2--that is, last August At 45'+3', Alvaro gives Sporting the lead--0-1 at the half. At 76', Yacine ties for Rayo--1-1, and that's how the game ends, giving Rayo their 19th tie in 35 games this year. I remember that Badajoz once ended with 21 or 22 ties in 42 games--Rayo is approaching this. Rayo is seventh, just a point back of the last playoff spot, but they're gonna have to win some games sometime . . .

2145 Oviedo 0, Fuenlabrada 0 Oviedo comes off the HUGE win at Sporting in the Asturian Derby--one of the few bright spots in a horrible season. They are currently two points above the drop; a win would leave them alone in 15th place. Fuenla is in the log-jam at 45 points, seven points above the drop and five points shy of the last playoff spot. Scoreless tie in the Nuevo Carlos Tartiere. Oviedo is three points above the drop. Fuenla rises to 11th place.

[AlanK]

The top and the drop after Jornada 35--the standings are very tight with regard to promotion playoffs and relegation, as just four points separate the last playoff spot and 14th place, the latter being just eight points above the drop

1. Cádiz------------62 points; +46-33 Next hosts Tenerife. Can the gaditanos hang on
2. Zaragoza---------61 points; +51-37 Hosts Huesca--Game of the Week
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3. Almería----------56 points; +54-34 At Mirandés. Incidentally, the home loss to Alcorcón cost Guti his job as coach.
4. Huesca----------55 points; +46-38 At Zaragoza.
5. Girona-----------52 points; +42-36 At Málaga.
6. Elche------------50 points; +44-37 At Las Palmas.
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7. Rayo-------------49 points; +45-37 At Alcorcón.
8/9/10 Ponferradina, Alcorcón, and Mirandés, all at 48 points.
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15. Málaga---------41 points; +29-31 Hosts Girona.
16. Oviedo---------41 points: +40-45 At Numancia. Huge game for both
17. Dépor----------41 points; +34-51 Hosts Ponferradina.
18. Albacete--------40 points; +27-40 At Racing.
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19. Numancia-------38 points; +37-43 Hosts Oviedo.
20. Lugo-----------38 points; +31-45 At Sporting.
21. Extremadura-----33 points; +33-48 At Fuenlabrada.
22. Racing----------30 points; +34-45 Hosts Albacete.

[AlanK]

Today's games--26 June

I know this is hard to believe, but LaLiga2 has an off day

[AlanK]

. . . And today we're back to normal: games of 27 June

1700 Dépor 2, Ponferradina 1 Dépor is now three points above the drop. Salvation in sight: can they stay there Ponfe is in eighth place, and a win could lift them into a playoff spot. Scoreless first half in Riazor. At 59', Kaxe gives Ponfe the lead, which they hold until added time--0-1. At 92', an own goal by Trigueros ties it--1-1. And at 95', the winner comes from Emre Çolak--2-1. Dépor is looking like a survivor, six points above the drop. Ponfe misses a chance to climb into a playoff spot.

1930 Cádiz 0, Tenerife 2 Cádiz is 1-3-0 since the restart--their lead over second-place Zaragoza is just a point, but they have a six-point lead in what really counts: the struggle for direct promotion. Tete has come alive with seven points in their last three games: they are now eight points above the drop and four points below a playoff spot. At 45', Dani Gómez gives Tete the lead--0-1 at the half. And two minutes into the second half, Dani Gómez adds another for Tete, which goes on to win 0-2. Tete wins another and climbs to within two points of the last playoff spot. Cádiz . . . Well, their lead over third-place Almería could be cut to three points tomorrow.

1930 Las Palmas 1, Elche 1 Canaries are 2-2-0 since the restart; now eight points above the drop, they are just four points back of the last playoff spot--in other words, even on points with their biggest rival, Tenerife. Elche holds the last playoff spot; it'll take a win today for them to be sure of holding that spot, although a tie would probably be enough. They are 1-1-2 since the restart. Rubén Castro gives the Canaries the lead at 30'--1-0. Juan Cruz ties for Elche at 39'--1-1 at the half. And that's the final score. Elche now has a two-point advantage over seventh-place Rayo, which plays Monday. The Canaries rise, for the moment, two places to 12th.

2145 Racing 1, Albacete 2 Racing would have to pull off a miracle finish to avoid the drop--they are 10 points below the lowest team not in the drop, which happens to be their opponent today. El Alba is two points above the drop and will be pulling out all stops to stay there. At 45'+2', Galán gives Racing the lead--1-0 at the half. Fuster ties for el Alba at 54'--1-1. And Alba wins it with a goal by Alvaro at 81'. That lifts them to 16th place, five points above the drop.

[AlanK]

Today's games--28 June

1700 Mirandés 2, Almería 2 Mirandés is now three points shy of the last playoff spot. Almería is still in third place and can pull within three points of the league lead with a win. A loss means that they could be passed by Huesca. Vada gives Almería the lead at 1'--0-1. Guridi ties for Mirandés at 23'--1-1. Corpas makes it 1-2 at 45'+2'. Almería leads until 99', when Merquelanz converts the tying pk for Mirandés. Two huge points blown by Almería deep in added time. Mirandés is two points from the last playoff spot.

1700 Sporting 2, Lugo 0 Sporting is five points shy of the last playoff spot and eight points above the drop. Lugo is in the drop; a win could get them above the drop on GD or at least come close. Méndez gives Sporting the lead at 24'--1-0 at the half. Aitor makes it 2-0 at 72', Sporting is now within two points of the last playoff spot. Lugo remains in 20th place.

1930 Málaga 2, Girona 0 Málaga is three points above the drop. The season has been dismal, especially the political and financial matters. Girona is in fifth place; a win could edge them closer to the leaders. Should they lose, Rayo could catch them with a win tomorrow. Cifuentes gives Málaga the lead at 20'--1-0 at the half. Sadiku adds a second for Málaga at 50'--2-0 is how it ends. Málaga climbs to 15th place.

1930 Numancia 1, Oviedo 0 Very important game for both in terms of avoiding the drop. Numancia is top of the drop; would catch Oviedo on points with a win. Oviedo would stay above the drop with a win or a tie. Higinio gives Numancia the lead at 24'--Numancia leads at the half. If this result holds, Numancia is out of the drop on H2H over Oviedo. And the second half is scoreless. Oviedo is now top of the drop.

2145 Fuenlabrada 1, Extremadura 1 Fuenla is eight points above the drop in their first season ever at this level. Extremadura is next-to-last, eight points back of the lowest team not in the drop. At 23', Nteka gives Fuenla the lead--1-0. At 36', Alegría ties it--1-1 at the half. And 1-1 at the finish. Fuenla is in lower mid-table with 47 points; Extremadura is still seven points back of the lowest team not in the drop.

[AlanK]

Today's games--29 June, as Jornada 36 draws to a close

1930 NOTE: High heat in Madrid has caused this game to be set back to 2100 CEST. Many sources have not updated schedules, so still have listed this game at the originally scheduled hour.

Alcorcón 3, Rayo 2 Alcor has the weirdest record in the top two divisions: 4-4-9 at home and 7-11-0 on the road. They are currently in a logjam of eight teams between 7th place and 14th, only two points separating the top of this group from the bottom. A win would leave Alcor tied with Elche on points for the last playoff spot. Rayo is one point better than Alcor; a win would lift them past Elche into the last playoff spot, tied on points with Girona for fifth and sixth places. At 22', Ernesto Gómez gives Alcor the lead--1-0. At 45'+2', Isi Palazón ties for Rayo--1-1 at the half. Alcor opens a two-goal lead via Ernesto Gómez with his second at 46' and another by Arribas at 70'--3-1. Rayo cuts the margin at 75', as Oscar Trejo converts a pk--3-2 the final. Alcor catches Elche on points for the last playoff spot, but trails on H2H.

2145 Zaragoza 0, Huesca 1 Game of the Jornada. Zaragoza is in second place, one point back of first-place Cádiz, four points ahead of third-place Almería, and six points ahead of fourth-place Huesca. Zaragoza has lost more games at home than on the road; Huesca is a somewhat mediocre 4-4-9 on the road. If fans were allowed, they'd fill the Romareda for this regional rivalry. At 95', Javi Galán scores to give Huesca a huge win. Huesca noses ahead of Almería and trails Zaragoza by three points for the all-important second spot. Huesca has H2H against Zaragoza, having beaten them in both league games this season.

[AlanK]

The top and the drop after Jornada 36

1. Cádiz------------62 points; +46-35 At Elche.
2. Zaragoza--------61 points; +51-38 At Girona.
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3. Huesca----------58 points; +47-38 Hosts Las Palmas.
4. Almería----------57 points; +56-36 Hosts Sporting.
5. Girona-----------52 points; +42-38 Hosts Zaragoza.
6. Elche------------51 points; +45-38 Hosts Cádiz.
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7. Alcorcón---------51 points; +46-43 At Albacete.
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18. Numancia-------41 points; +38-43 At Lugo.
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19. Oviedo---------41 points; +40-46 Hosts Mirandés.
20. Lugo-----------38 points; +31-47 Hosts Numancia--do or die, and Lugo has a new coach.
21. Extremadura-----34 points; +34-49 Hosts Racing.
22. Racing----------30 points; +35-37 At Extremadura.

[AlanK]

Today's games, Tues. 30 June: the kickoff of Jornada 37 (18 points still in play)

1930 Tenerife 1, Dépor 1 Tete has won their last three games to come out of nowhere: they are now just two points back of the last playoff spot, when until recently they were struggling to avoid the drop. Can they keep it up Dépor is 2-3-0 since the restart; they've climbed to three points above the drop, when recently they were relegation fodder. Scoreless first half in the Heliiodoro. Tete looks like a winner when Milla converts a pk at 82', but Aketxe ties for Dépor at 92'--1-1 the final. Dépor is now four points above the drop; Tete is one point shy of the last playoff spot.

2145 Elche 0, Cádiz 0 Both of these have slipped a bit since the restart. Elche is 1-2-2 in that period, and now clings to the last playoff spot on H2H vs Alcorcón. Cádiz is hanging onto first place by a single point after a 1-3-1 record since the restart. Scoreless tie in the Martínez Valero. This leaves Cádiz two points ahead of second-place Zaragoza, which plays Thursday. Elche, at least for the moment, climbs to fifth place on H2H over Girona.

[AlanK]

Today's games--Wed. July 1

1930 Almería 1, Sporting 0 Almería has dropped to fourth place, four points back of direct promotion. Their record since the restart is 2-1-2; they'd certainly have to improve to win direct promotion. Sporting is three points back of the last playoff spot and eight points above the drop. They're probably not going up or down. César scores at 90' to lift Almería to the win and to, for the moment, third place and one point back of Zaragoza, two points back of Cádiz.

1930 Oviedo 1, Mirandés 0 Oviedo is the top of the drop. They are 1-3-1 since the restart--will that be good enough to keep them in LaLiga2 Mirandés is three points back of the last playoff spot. A pk by Ortuño at 41' gives Oviedo a HUGE win with respect to rising above the drop. Oviedo is now 17th, three points above the drop. Mirandés is in a log-jam from 47 to 50 points; this log-jam is comprised of seven teams.

1930 Lugo 3, Numancia 1 Both are in danger of relegation. Lugo is 20th, three points back of the last team not in the drop, which happens to be Numancia. Numancia won 3-1 against Lugo in Los Pajaritos, so Lugo needs a BIG win today to pass Numancia. Numancia could end up in the drop today unless they win. Barreiro with a pk at 12', Marcelo at 48', and Carrillo at 93' give Lugo the win. Marc Mateu scores the goal del honor at 61' for Numancia. Lugo is still in 20th place, but they're now within reach of teams above the drop, and they are even on points with Numancia, the tie-breaker for these two being GD.

2145 Extremadura 3, Racing 1 Or, #21 hosts #22. A win for the home team would leave them at least four points shy of the lowest team not in the drop; Racing is a further four points back. Pinchi gives Extremadura the lead at 39'; Rocha makes it 2-0 with a pk at 45'+4'--2-0 at the half. Zarfino make it 3-0 at 60'; Guillermo scores the gol del honor at 75'. It may be too little, too late to help Extremadura, now six points back of the lowest team not in the drop. Racing 13 points back with only 15 more points in play, is toast.

2145 Ponferradina 0, Fuenlabrada 3 Or, #12 hosts #13. Both are fairly safe from the drop, seven and six points thereabove, respectively. They're closer to a playoff spot, but they have to bypass a whole bunch of teams to get there. Scoreless first half in the Toralín. Must have been quite a nightmare second half for Ponfe Jeisson at 57', Nteka at 60', and Pathé Ciss at 87' were the scorers for Fuenla, now just two points shy of the last playoff spot.

[AlanK]

Today's games--Thurs. July 2

2000 Albacete 1, Alcorcón 1 El Alba is two points and one place above the drop. Alcor has climbed to seventh place, one point back of the last playoff spot; a win today would lift them, at least until tomorrow, to fifth place--and remember, they are the only team in the top two divisions that is undefeated on the road this season, where their record is 7-11-0 Game started late, kickoff time probably changed due to heat. At 9', Sandaza gives Alcor the lead--is Alcor gonna win on the road yet again Maybe not, as Ojeda ties for el Alba at 57'--1-1, now at about 82'. If this score holds, Alcor will be in seventh place, even on points with fifth place Elche and sixth place Girona, the latter of which plays tomorrow. And hold it does, so Alba, while they don't win, remains unbeaten on the road.

1930 Huesca 1, Las Palmas 0 Huesca can reclaim third place from Almería with a win; they would also catch second place Zaragoza on points and pass them on H2H . . . at least until, due to somewhat weird scheduling, Zaragoza plays at Girona tomorrow. Las Palmas is six points above the drop and five points below the last playoff spot. Okazaki gives Huesca the lead at 45'+1'--1-0 at the half. And Okazaki's goal holds up to give Huesca, now ahead of Zaragoza on H2H, possession of a direct promotion spot, but of course Zaragoza still has a game coming tomorrow.

2145 Rayo 0, Málaga 0 Rayo is in a log-jam three points below the last playoff spot. Málaga is three points above the drop and five points back of Rayo. And it ends a scoreless tie. Three teams are tied at 52 points with two playoff spots involved; Rayo is in another group of three teams two more points back of the three tied for the last two playoff spots.

. . . and tomorrow, the big Girona-Zaragoza game, which puts Zaragoza's direct promotion spot on the line ¡Casi nada

[AlanK]

And while we move to a new jornada in First Division today, we finish up the "old" jornada today in LaLiga2, with one game

1930 Girona 1, Zaragoza 0 The schedulers certainly picked the right game with which to finish the jornada--#3 Zaragoza, which now trails Huesca for the all-important direct-promotion second spot, must play at #5 Girona (well, based on this jornada's results, Girona is currently sixth because of tie-breakers), which with a win would be within six points of the magic second place. A win for Girona would give them the H2H advantage over Zaragoza. A loss would put Girona behind the eight-ball for qualification for the playoffs. Scoreless first half in Montilivi. If the game ends in a tie, Zaragoza climbs back into second place with a nine-point lead over Girona; the tie-breaker between these two teams would them be GD (just in case ). At 55', Clemente fouls Stuani in the area. Stuani converts the pk at 57'--1-0. As it stands with about 25 minutes to go, Zaragoza is in third place and Girona is six points back of both Zaragoza and second-place Huesca--but a goal for Zaragoza would change everything At 64', Zaragoza is whistled for a second penalty, but VAR decrees (correctly, apparently) that there was no handball in the area--still 1-0. Now in added time. And Girona holds on for the win

[AlanK]

The top and the drop after Jornada 37

1. Cádiz--------------63 points; +46-35 Next hosts Oviedo. Can Cádiz hang on
2. Huesca------------61 points; +48-38 At Dépor. Can they stay ahead of Zaragoza
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3. Zaragoza----------61 points; +51-39 Hosts Rayo.
4. Almería------------60 points; +57-36 Hosts Tenerife. Tight top four for two promotion spots, wot
5. Girona-------------55 points; +43-38 At Sporting. If they win promotion, keys to the city go to Stuani.
6. Elche--------------52 points; +45-38 At Racing.
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7. Alcorcón----------52 points; +47-44 Hosts Lugo.
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17. Oviedo-----------44 points; +41-46 At Cádiz.
18. Albacete---------44 points; +30-42 At Málaga.
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19. Numancia--------41 points; +39-46 Hosts Extremadura.
20. Lugo-------------41 points; +34-48 At Alcorcón.
21. Extremadura------37 points; +37-50 At Numancia. Is there hope
22. Racing-----------30 points; +36-50 Hosts Elche. Even if Racing wins all 15 points remaining, . . .