I really dragged myself to Santa Cruz on Sunday. I had hoped to get there to see the team arrive but flu had struck and I managed to get there in time to meet the Armada Sur fans before the game. Boy was I glad I made it. This was a really nail biting game. We started out reasonably but with Getafe in control. They had their first shot at goal after 7 minutes which left the fans worried and proved rightly so when they scored after 10 minutes. CDT put their minds to the game and started to fight back. Coming up to the 30 minute mark Nino scored his first goal from a pass by Roman.The game went up and down the pitch and at half time the score was still 1-1.
At half time I said to my other half I could see this going either way but I hoped we would be ok. I am not superstitious and as the players came back on the pitch I could only hope we would play our best. The begining of the second half has often been our weakness this season but on Sunday this was where the players came out with fire in their bellies. Comments in the newspaper on Monday say that trainer Jose Luis Oltra gave the team a bollocking at half time that could be heard all over the changing room area. Mikel passed the ball into the area, then Roman did the same. It seemed any minute one of the teams could score and CD Tenerife managed just that. Marc Bertran played the ball to Nino and Nino put the ball away making the score 2-1. Getafe didn't take this lying down and off they went. Cortés, played the ball to the penalty box, where Casquero headed it into the goal. A draw was never going to be enough for Tenerife's plans for salvation and the team played with all they had for a third goal. A minute later after a defensive error Nino scored his first hat trick in Primera and put away another goal. The crowd went wild, not since the home game against Jerez last season have I seen that much enthusiasum. The last 15 minutes were nerve racking and then the referee gave five minutes extra time. All this time the blue and whites managed to hold on and maintain their lead.
This coming Sunday is in the Calderon against Atletico Madrid and hopefully they will be more concentrated on their Europa League games. As another win should finally put us out of relegation.
Point of interest - In the Spanish league national player Villa has 20 goals to his name. The next Spanish players with 13 goals are Nino and Llorente. Of Llorente's 13 goals 4 are from penalties.
CD TENERIFE 3 (1)
GETAFE CF 2 (1)
CD TENERIFE
Sergio Aragoneses; Marc Beltrán, Culebras, Pablo Sicilia, Héctor; Román Martínez (Manolo Martínez, 84’), Mikel Alonso; Juanlu Hens (Dinei, 65’), Alfaro (Kome, 78’); Ayoze & Nino.
GETAFE CF
Codina; Cortés, Mario, Berenguer (Miguel Torres, 53’), Mané; Casquero, Celestini; Pedro León, Manu del Moral (Gavilán, 75’), Adrián González (Parejo, 70’) & Miku.
REFEREE
Miguel Ángel Ayza Gámez, from Valencia. Yellow cards for local players, Alfaro (23’) & Ayoze (26’); and for visitors, Mané (22’), Pedro León (44’), Casquero (70’) & Miguel Torres (95’).
GOALS
0-1: (10’) Pedro León, with a kick inside the area. 1-1: (29’) Nino, with a header, after a pass from Román Martínez. 2-1: (68’) Nino with a shot at goal, after a pass from Marc Beltrán. 2-2: (74’) Casquero with a header passed to him by Cortés. 3-2: (75’) Nino made the most of a defensive error dribbling past Codina and scoring at an empty goal.
INCIDENTS
Thirty third round of the Liga BBVA in the first division. Played in the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López stadium in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with 18.996 spectators.
