Villarreal 1-2 Getafe: Overdue win comes with a hint of luck

0-1 Diego Castro 5'
1-1 Nilmar 45' (pen.)
1-2 Abdel Barrada 72'

Getafe take their chances and Villarreal don't, making for an away win...
... Borja Valero's first ever VCF penalty miss helps Geta to first win since January...

Getafe finally got back to winning ways after edging a fraught thriller at the Madrigal on Monday night. Had the hosts taken their chances the outcome could have been quite different, but coach Luis García will be delighted to see his side show both guts and luck to take all three points back to the capital from the Valencian Community.

With both Pedro León and Diego Castro starting it didn't take long for Getafe to show attacking intent, and they duly went ahead after just five minutes. It was Diego Castro who netted after poor defending from Villarreal and good work from Abdel Barrada and Miku in the buildup.

Defensive midfielder Míchel nearly gave away the lead twelve minutes later after conceding a needless penalty against Jaume Costa, but Borja Valero's poor penalty was saved by Miguel Ángel Moyà.

After more pressure something had to give, and it came on the stroke of half-time. Cata Díaz's poorly-timed challenge on Nilmar in the box saw the Yellow Submarine earn their second penalty of the game, and the Brazilian made no mistake from the spot.

Villarreal were superior for much of the second half, but their profligacy was summed up in the 68th minute when the hitherto-excellent Cani made a storming run down the right, leaving the Getafe back line in his wake, before shooting into the side netting from point-black range.

Five minutes later, and against the run of play, Abdel Barrada gave Getafe their second lead of the game. The young Parisien slid home from close range after Pedro León played the first-time pass from Diego Castro's excellent build-up.



With this result Getafe earn some much-needed respite from the relegation battle, moving into 13th place with 32 points. Villarreal, meanwhile, remain 17th on 27, just three points ahead of Racing and Sporting in the dropzone.

Villarreal: Diego López; Ángel López, Gonzalo (Marco Ruben 61), Zapata, Jaume Costa; Marcos Senna, Bruno; Cani, Borja Valero, Camuñas; Nilmar (Joselu 69). Getafe: Moyà; Valera, Cata Díaz, Alexis, Mané; Míchel, Lacen; Pedro León (Casquero 74), Abdel Barrada, Diego Castro; Miku (Dani Güiza 69).

Espanyol 1-0 Getafe: Late sickener makes it four without a win

1-0 Pandiani 90'

Getafe's horror start to the season continues with last-gasp defeat in Barcelona...
... Mediocre performance breeds heartbreaking result...

Walter Pandiani came off the bench to snatch a narrowly deserved win over Getafe on Thursday night, placing the Madrid side firmly in the dropzone after their taking just one point from four games.

The sole bright spot of the evening for Geta was the debut of Diego Castro, who recovered from injury in time to make his appearance at Cornella-El Prat.

Getafe's best chance of the game fell to full-back Juan Valera, who missed an easy opportunity in the second period. At the other end Juan Moyà put in a superb shift, but was denied on the rebound by Pandiani early in stoppage time.

The men in blue return to the Coliseum at the weekend to face free-scoring Real Betis in a match that, if not quite must-win, calls for a much-improved performance.

Espanyol: Álvarez; Galán, Jordi Amat, Héctor Moreno, Dídac; Verdú, Baena, Javi Márquez (Pandiani 76); Sergio García; Álvaro (Weiss 58), Thievy Koulossa (Rui Fonte 81). Getafe: Moyá; Valera, Cata Díaz, Lopo, Masilela (Miguel Torres 76); Rubén Perez; Pedro Ríos (Diego Castro 63), Casquero, Lacen, Abdel; Miku (Güiza 80).

Two in, two out - so far

Transfer season has started early at the Coliseum this year, with four changes already having taken place before June begins.

Out

Captain Manu del Moral has finally left Getafe after five years in Madrid, heading back to his native Andalucia with Sevilla. The fee is rumoured to be around €4.5m - a price more than fair for one whose contract was fast expiring. El capitán will be much-missed in the dressing room and by the fans, too, because even during moments of poor form his spirit and positive attitude never wavered.

Juan Ángel Albín is a trickier one. The young Uruguayan had sufficient talent to be linked with AC Milan last summer, but instead he finds himself as Espanyol. I had originally thought him out of contract, but in fact he had a year left and thus the Perequitos have had to shell out €3m for his services. That's a considerable sum for a player who, despite his natural abilities, never really came out of his shell at the Coliseum. For me this is a fine piece of business: even if he goes on to be the player we think he can be it's still best to cash in rather than take the risk. Juan leaves after spending, like Manu, five years in the blue shirt.

In

First to come is Mehdi Lacen. The France-born Algerian international has signed on for four years with Geta, bringing to an end three years with Racing Santander. The 27-year-old defensive midfielder has spent virtually his entire career in Spain, having previously served Alavés for three years.

His arrival signals - at least according to Marca - the end to Derek Boateng's time at the Coliseum. It is thought that club president Ángel Torres is ready to sell the Ghanaian to the highest bidder, most likely a member of the Premier League. That will be a massive blow for next season: Boateng was the most composed player in the squad by far and while Lacen is not a bad player his skills on the ball do not match those of the former AIK man.

Allegedly already signed is Diego Castro, an exciting winger-cum-forward last of Sporting Gijón. This one isn't 100% confirmed yet, but the Galician wide man will likely take up a position on the left flank, from which his specialty is to cut inside and score goals.

Still to come?

Long before Deportivo slumped towards relegation, much of their out-of-contract contingent had been linked with a switch to the capital. Chief among these was Alberto Lopo. The dependable centre-back would make a fine partner for either Mario or Cata Díaz and is thought to be inches away from officially signing on for Getafe.

In midfield Juan Rodríguez is another candidate for the central role currently occupied by Derek Boateng: , and while Rodríguez has plenty of experience and drive he lacks the class of the former AIK man. Anontio Tomás, Rodríguez's sometime-partner and often-understudy at the Riazor, is another player who could yet join Getafe from the Galicians. Seemingly we can never have too many defensive midfielders...

Also, sporting director Toni Múñoz has extended his deal, with coach Míchel's future hanging in the balance. Torres and Múñoz will meet to discuss the ex-Real Madrid man's future over the coming days.

Update: Míchel is gone, and Luis Enrique will not be taking over. Luis García of Levante is the front-runner.