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Tenerife Today
Tenerife Today is the interactive news page for Oasis Fm, with all local news and cultural information supplied by the Canarian Weekly newspaper, SPET, and Tenerife Cabildo.
Terrific Tenerife win thriller - 12.06.2009 |
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 CD Tenerife 2 Xerez 0
EXPECTATION can be a funny thing. It can weigh on an occasion like an elephant sitting on an ant. Many a planned party has descended into a damp squib, or a celebratory bottle of champers left in the bucket. I thought of this as I journeyed up to Santa Cruz last Sunday. This match had as much hype as a Sky Premier League match. The game was a sell-out, touts were doing a roaring trade and the national pay broadcaster was in town. And for once, the hype didn’t even get close to the occasion. This was a thriller. A classic. A never-to-be-forgotten match. Believe me, those who were there will never forget it. I have space for only 700 words for a match report that could fill this paper. In the cold light of day, it was a win that sent Tenerife top of the table. It was a win that means they need only a point at Girona tomorrow (Saturday) to secure promotion. But this was also a game that showed both sides what they can achieve next season. Tenerife were brilliant and deserve all the credit they can catch. But so were Xerez, who demonstrated why they have been League leaders for most of the season. They were devastated at the final whistle, but their magnificent supporters – over 800 made the journey – gave them the right amount of applause. Tenerife started the better of the two sides and forced some early chances, which Nino and Alfaro squandered. Juanlu then missed a sitter from eight yards, before Tenerife got the opener after 15 minutes. Tenerife had already exposed a chink in the Xerez armour. Twice they had sent the ball over the top of a static defence for Nino to chase, and it was third-time lucky. This time it was Alfaro who got behind Aythami and, as he tore into the box, Chema rushed off his line. He appeared to slip as Alfaro chipped it over him expertly and into the net. It was a deserved lead, and Tenerife wasted numerous chances to double the advantage. Fifteen minutes later came the defining moment. Tenerife had wasted a few corners and again they tried the cheeky ‘Teddy Sheringham’ roll into the edge of the box. But Xerez were ready for it. They stole the ball and Momo tore down the line. He knocked it past Ricardo, who dived in two-footed, waist-high, and took the Gran Canarian out. This was the cue for total carnage. All the players got into a ruck, Ayose butted a Xerez player, the opposing bench ran on to the pitch to get involved, the Guardia Civil got the batons out and somebody tackled the ref! It was chaos and impossible to keep up with. It’s the sort of thing that would have been front page in Britain. Eventually Ricardo was sent off and order was restored. It was a stupid lunge from Ricardo, who will now sit out the rest of the campaign. His dismissal changed the complexion of the game. Tenerife were forced to sacrifice Ayose early in the second half, and Xerez dominated. Bergantiños was pulling the strings in midfield, and Momo was giving Cendros nightmares. But Aragoneses was in inspired form in the home net. One save from Gomez, in particular, was stunning. The longer the match went on, the stronger the feeling that the visitors would get their reward. But with 25 minutes to go, the Xerez manager lost the plot. Esteban Vigo has done a brilliant job this season but, bizarrely, he pulled off Bargantiños and then Momo. Even the Tenerife players seemed stunned, but it gave them fresh impetus. Alonso started winning the ball in midfield and with no Momo around, Cendros began making some forward runs. Eight minutes from time, the game was over. Alfaro’s left-wing cross fell sweetly for the unmarked Angel, six yards out. It was a gimme, but he tapped it wide and the stadium groaned. Xerez took the goal-kick quickly, but while Angel was getting a severe telling-off from coach Oltra, Nino stole the ball from Crespi and raced through on goal. Chema again tore off his line, but Nino found the bottom corner of the net. You could hear the cheers in Hercules. So it’s all eyes on tomorrow’s trip to Girona. A point means promotion – and two wins will mean the league championship. La Liga here we come! Canarian Weekly ratings:
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