Tenerife 1-0 Getafe LaLiga 123 play-off final: Match report
Tenerife take a very slender lead back to Getafe thanks to a goal from the head of Jorge Saenz in a game that threatened to kick into life but failed to.World Cup 2018 draw
Tenerife 1-0 Getafe: match report
Tenerife might rue some of the chances they missed against Getafe on Wednesday night as the two sides travel back to Madrid to face each other in the second leg with a place in LaLiga at stake. The islanders have a goal lead but they never truly convinced in a game that failed to ever get going despite threatening to do so on a number of occasions.
Getafe were always going to be up against it with the speed and skill of Tenerife's counter-attack and they conceded possession in the opening exchanges in an effort to sit back and protect their back four from being over-exposed. Cala was lucky not to give away a penalty inside the opening five when Amath got in behind the centre-half and the defender pulled back the Atletico Madrid loanee from around the neck. The referee opted to refrain from pointing to the spot even though it looked locked on.
Once they fell behind on 22 minutes via the head Jorge Saenz when Gaku Shibasanki delivered a pin-point cross onto his head from a corner, Getafe felt they needed to come out of their shell a little bit more or face an onslaught of Tenerife attacking for the night. They did improve but Tenerife continued to dominate on the break and refused to give their opponents a look-in in front of goal.
That continued well into the second half and while Getafe had their chances, they were half-chances at the very best. At times, it was tit for tat with neither side landing any clean punches. Lozano had an effort that forced Guaita into a save but it was a mediocre effort at the very best. That's how it continued and that was how it would end. Molina was battling for something up front but he had no luck and Tenerife never showed enough ambition to double their lead.
Both managers will get their sides back to training soon to assess the damage as Getafe's Cala was carted off with a hamstring injury, as was Molinero with an ankle injury and Tenerife's man of the match, Suso, walked off with a grimace on his face that didn't necessarily look good.
With a place at stake in LaLiga, there is a huge improvement in both sides. Getafe will be happy to get out of the Canary Islands with just a one goal deficit but Tenerife might be left wondering what might have been if they could have hurt their opponents more in the opening leg.
Tenerife vs Getafe live stream online: LaLiga 123 play-off final: latest news
Tenerife v Getafe livestream online: match preview
And then there was two. Two teams left for one spot in the Primera, that is. Getafe took care of business against Huesca and Tenerife squeezed past Cadiz despite the second leg going to extra time. The first leg of the final of the Segunda play-offs takes us to the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López, Tenerife on the Canary Islands.
Tenerife
The last time Tenerife made it into the top flight of Spanish football, they finished third behind Xerez and Zaragoza when play-offs did not exist yet. They finished the following season 19th and then 20th the year after to plummet to Segunda B in just a couple of years. They have had mixed fortunes in the Segunda in the four years since their return and they are now on the cusp of another stint at the top table of Spanish football.
One of the most frightening attacks in the Segunda last season with Ndiaye typically leading the attacking charges against opponents. The on-loan Atletico Madrid attacker scored 13 goals last season and really emerged as a tour de force in the latter stages of the competition. That said, he didn't really show up against Cadiz on either of the two legs and a lot more will be expected of him on Wednesday night in front of a home crowd baying for a return to the top flight.
Gaku Shibasaki is the man who runs Tenerife's midfield after being picked up by the islanders from Kashima Antlers when he scored two goals in the Club World Cup final against Real Madrid during Spain's winter break.
Getafe
When Getafe were relegated from the top flight last season, many thought they could disappear down the ladder with no respite. They have proven those doubters wrong and trounced Huesca in the semi-final despite giving up two late goals in the first leg that kept the game on a knife-edge heading into the second leg. They took care of business in that return leg and beat their opponents 0-3 and now look to Tenerife, who on their day are far more potent than the lively Huesca.
Things got so bad for Huesca that manager Juan Antonio Anquela head-butted David Lopez when he was taken off in the second leg and Anquela will not continue with the club next season. So, in that sense, we are not sure how good Huesca were after sneaking into the play-offs and imploding in that fashion.
Getafe will rely on Jorge Molina, who scored two in the first leg and scored a goal a game during the regular season. Another player they rely on, Dani Pacheco, will miss the game against Tenerife after being sent off against Huesca and receiving a one-match ban.
Tenerife v Getafe live stream online: betting
The visitors ahead at half time and Tenerife coming back to snatch a FT draw is an attractive proposition, paying out at 6/1.
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Follow the live coverage match of LaLiga 123 play-off final between:Getafe-Tenerife
