Getafe 2-4 Valencia: Another defensive collapse spells crisis at the Coliseum

Defensive calamity sees Getafe throw it all away...
... Relegation a genuine concern at the Coliseum...

Getafe's habit of throwing away leads returned in emphatic fashion on Saturday as Valencia stormed back to take a 4-2 win from the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, with former home favourite Roberto Soldado weighing in with a hat-trick.

On-form Manu del Moral got the ball rolling for Getafe early on with a low drive from the edge of the area after a wonderful one-two with Pablo Mosquera.

But the hosts' joy was to last only seconds after the break, as Soldado was on hand to equalise with a first-time slotted shot under Oscar Ustari after Cata Díaz failed to deal with a fine through ball from Juan Mata.

The ex-Real Madrid man was on target again just after the hour mark with a shot from a similar range and angle, with Jonas this time playing provider past a static Getafe defence for Soldado to take advantage.

Two minutes later Soldado had his hat-trick. Mané's lack of control saw him lose the ball ten yards out from the box, allowing the striker to steal possession and beat Ustari for a third time.

Soldado wasn't finished yet as with thirteen minutes to go Mata once again set up the Spanish international to beat his marker and slot in from close range.

Adrián Sardinero pulled one back with three minutes to go as the tireless Manu del Moral played the young substitute through on goal to fire home at the near post, but it was too little, too late.

With the rest of the relegation pack still to play Getafe are just five points clear of relegation. Next week's trip to Zaragoza is looking increasingly like a make-or-break occasion.

Getafe: Ustari; Miguel Torres, Cata Díaz, Iván Marcano, Mané; Borja (Adrián Sardinero 73), Parejo; Arizmendi (Víctor Sánchez 80), Pablo Mosquera (Pedro Ríos 66), Manu del Moral; Miku. Valencia: César; Bruno, Ricardo Costa (Stankevicius 57), Dealbert, Mathieu (Jordi Alba 81); Mehmet Topal, Tino Costa; Pablo Hernández, Jonas (Maduro 79), Juan Mata; Soldado.

Sporting Gijón 2-0 Getafe: Winless run continues after whimpering defeat

1-0 De las Cuevas 32'
2-0 André Castro 40'

Hosts easily the better side as Asturians pull to within five points of Geta...
... Safety still not secured for the disappointing visitors...

On paper Getafe played Sunday's fixture in Gijón, but in fact the Azulones were nowhere to be found as Sporting pulled off what must rank among their easiest wins of the season at the Molinón.

From start to finish the Asturian side was firmly in control, with Getafe offering just one shot on goal over the course of the ninety minutes.

The rojiblancos dominated the early exchanges, and the only surprise was that it took then half an hour to take the lead. Miguel de las Cuevas did the honours with a placed strike from the edge of the area that left the impressive Jordi Codina helpless.

Ten minutes later André Castro drilled a shot of his own from the edge of the box, the Porto loanee's effort sailing past Codina to double his side's advantage.

Jaime Gavilán trudged off to be replaced by Javier Arizmendi as visiting coach Míchel looked to turn the tide, Dani Parejo also making way for Javier Casquero at the interval.

Yet Sporting once again came out stronger, and not until the hour mark did misrifing Adrián Colunga threaten to break his lean spell with a mis-hit strike after he led a fine counter-attack.

Arizmendi - eager to prove his worth after a season spent largely on the bench - then came close, but Sporting closed out the match in relative comfort, even after Alberto Lora's needless second yellow card for dissent.

Getafe will end the weekend seven points clear of the dropzone, yet the Madrid outfit urgently need to start picking up points if they're to meet their goal of avoiding relegation prior to the final matchdays.

Next Monday's home game against Athletic Bilbao may be their last chance to do so for a while, given that the following two encounters are against Barcelona and Valencia.

Sporting: Cuéllar; Lora, Botía, Iván Hernández; Canella; Rivera, Nacho Cases; De las Cuevas (José Ángel 82), André Castro (Mate Bilic 87), Diego Castro (Luis Morán 72); David Barral. Red Card: Lora 86' (second yellow card) Getafe: Codina; Víctor Sánchez, Rafa, Miguel Torres, Marcano; Manu del Moral, Boateng, Parejo (Casquero 46), Gavilán (Arizmendi 42); Colunga, Miku (Pedro Ríos 61.)

Getafe 1-1 Atlético Madrid: Geta can't hold their nerve in Madrid derby

1-0 Manu del Moral 3'
1-1 Elías 81'

Early lead not enough as Geta make it four without a win...
... Fine start canceled out by late concession...

Getafe shared the points with near-neighbours Atlético Madrid in Wednesday's city derby, with one goal apiece securing the draw.

Overall this was a less than encouraging match for fans of both sides. Neither club is currently firing on all cylinders and this was painfully evident at the Coliseum.

Still, it was perhaps inevitable that Manu del Moral would provide one of the rare moments of excitement. The former Atleti man, linked with a return to the Vicente Calderón, opened the scoring after just three minutes with a fine chip from the edge of the box over the helpless David De Gea.

The Colchoneros attempted to put the pressure on but Geta enjoyed the best of the first half, the interplay between Manu and Miku creating one chance that the former failed to bury in the 26th minute. Shortly afterward home left-back Mané was removed due to injury.

José Antonio Reyes almost equalised on the stroke of the interval, and this was a taste of things to come as the visitors improved in the second period.

They eventually got what they were looking for nine minutes from time when Elías netted his first goal for the club with a header from ten yards following Diego Forlán's cross. For Getafe this was the third late goal shipped in four games.

Dani Parejo was denied a dramatic winner by David De Gea as the clock ran down.

Atleti remain two points above Getafe on 35. The Azulones face a trip to struggling Sporting Gijón on Sunday as they attempt to wrap up safety from relegation early.

Getafe: Codina; Miguel Torres, Cata Díaz, Rafa, Mané (Marcano 30); Manu, Víctor Sánchez (Boateng 65), Parejo, Gavilán; Colunga (Casquero 77), Miku. Atlético: De Gea; Valera, Perea, Godín, Antonio López; Reyes, Raúl García (Mario Suárez 63), Tiago (Juanfran 82), Koke (Elías 66); Forlán, Agüero.

Hércules 0-0 Getafe: Neither Side Makes Chances Count In Alicante

An open, entertaining encounter that merited goals...
... Loose defending only outweighed by sloppy finishing and crossing...

Getafe and Hércules each passed up several chances to make their respective pressuer tell in an exciting match in Alicante that ultimately yielded no goals.

The visitors may well feel the most aggrieved at the result, for while the hosts arguably enjoyed the clearest opportunity of the game, Getafe enjoyed more of them.

The hosts started brightly, with Olivier Thomert and Tote looking especially active, the latter even having a goal correctly ruled out for offside.

Towards the end of the first period Getafe began to recover, though, the on-form Javier Casquero threatening, although there was a lack of end product from the flanks.

Adrián Colunga, still in the midst of a lean spell, was denied by the post shortly before the interval, and David Trezeguet displayed his own scoring troubles by missing a sitter shortly after the restart.

By far the best chance of the match fell to Javier Portillo with twenty-five minutes to go, but the ex-Real Madrid man, when unmarked in the box, contrived to shoot at the onrushing Jordi Codina instead of into the back of the net.

Miku enjoyed a fine chance right afterwards, but as the match wore on it became clear that neither side had what it took to break the deadlock, the last real action being when home defender Cristan Pulhac picked up a second booking.

The 0-0 draw Getafe remain eight points clear of the dropzone, while Hércules are just two points above the relegation spots.

Getafe enjoy a home derby clash with Atlético Madrid midweek, while Hércules make the long drive north to meet Villarreal.

Hércules: Calatayud; Juanfra, Abraham Paz, Pamarot, Pulhac; Tote (Kiko 71), Farinós (Fritzler 77), Tiago Gomes, Thomert; Trezeguet, Portillo. Getafe: Codina; Miguel Torres, Cata Díaz, Rafa, Mané; Pedro Ríos (Manu del Moral 46), Víctor Sánchez, Casquero, Gavilán (Arizmendi 86); Colunga (Parejo 75), Miku.

Getafe 0-1 Racing Santander: Dull Clash Settled By Late Penalty

0-1 Pinillos (pen.) 88'

Careless play and questionable refereeing makes for dull encounter...
... Late penalty decision and red card correct nonetheless...

For the second week in a row Getafe conceded a late penalty as the Azulones fell 1-0 to rivals Racing Santander at home.

An unusually large crowd assembled at the Coliseum in the hopes of seeing a routine win over the struggling Cantabrians, but in fact a cagey first period and a disappointing second resulted in a home defeat.

The first half was mainly dominated by long balls from both sides, with few chances of note for either team.

Stats Getafe - Racing 54% Possession 46% 1 Shots on target 5 7 Corners 4 106 Balls Lost 108 78 Balls Recovered 85 1 Yellow Cards 2 1 Red Cards 0 11 Fouls Committed 12

Indeed, Getafe didn't meaningfully test Toño once during the opening forty-five, and not until five minutes before the break did Racing really threaten as Ariel Nahuelpan shot over after beating Cata Díaz.

Referee Estrada Fernández missed what appeared to be a penalty for Getafe five minutes after the break as Pablo Pinillos handled a Jaime Gavilán cross.

After a raft of substitutions for both sides, Jordi Codina was called into action to deny Pedro Munitis a rare goal, and Racing began to look dangerous.

Seventeen minutes from time substitute Giovani Dos Santos thought he'd given the Cantabrians the lead, only to be disappointed by the referee's whistle. This was an offside decision that spared Getafe's blushes, for replays seemed to indicate that the goal was legal.

Miku saved a Miku effort eight minutes from time before referee Fernández redeemed himself by getting a decision correct. Iván Marcano denied the excellent Dos Santos a clear opportunity in the box, and although the ex-Barcelona man did make the most of it, it was a reckless challenge from the Villarreal loanee.

Pablo Pinillos stepped up and buried the penalty, and the game was Racing's. Indeed, were it not for a wonder save from Codina a minute later Dos Santos may have had the goal he was denied earlier with an unmarked far post header.

Getafe could potentially now finish the weekend in the bottom half, depending on results involving Sevilla, Real Sociedad and Mallorca. Racing pull to within three points of the Azulones on 28.

Getafe: Codina; Víctor Sánchez, Cata Díaz, Marcano, Mané; Pedro Ríos (Albín 79'), Boateng, Casquero (Parejo 56'), Gavilán; Miku, Colunga (Adrián Sardinero 61'.) Red Card: Marcano 88' (professional foul) Racing: Toño; Pinillos, Henrique, Torrejón, Cisma; Lacen, Colsa; Kennedy (Dos Santos 66'), Munitis, Adrián (Arana 72'); Nahuelpan (Rosenberg 59').

Málaga 2-2 Getafe: Late collapse sees Getafe give up three points

0-1 Miku 8'
0-2 Colunga 23'
1-2 Julio Baptista (pen.) 80'
2-2 Rondón 90'

A game of two halves sees Getafe throw it all away...
... In an evenly-matched encounter the visitors could not hold their nerve...

Getafe threw away a two-goal lead at struggling Málaga, the Romareda encounter ending in a draw thanks to two late strikes from the hosts.

In truth it was probably the fairest outcome, although it's one that does neither side any favours. Getafe are not yet truly safe from relegation while Málaga, themselves deeply entrenched in the dropzone, need to pick up more wins than draws.

After eight minutes on-form Miku gave the Azulones the lead. The Venezuelan tapped in at the far post after home 'keeper Francesc Arnau failed to deal with Adrián Colunga's cross-cum-shot.

Stats Málaga - Getafe 58% Possession 42% 5 Shots on target 4 9 Corners 3 100 Balls Lost 105 88 Balls Recovered 66 4 Yellow Cards 4 0 Red Cards 0 13 Fouls Committed 14

Geta doubled their lead midway through the first period, and it was Colunga that found the net this time. The former Recreativo man showed characteristic poise to chip over the onrushing Arnau after getting on the end of Gavilán's long ball forward.

The hosts made two changes at the break and came out the better side in the second period. They were able to put Getafe under considerable pressure, and this eventually told in the form of a goal.

Ten minutes from time Iván Marcano handled the ball in the area, giving ex-Real Madrid midfielder Julio Baptista the chance to net from the spot. The Brazilian made no mistake.

Málaga's comeback was complete in stoppage time as Sandro Silva's cross found Seba Fernández ready to tee up José Rondón for a dramatic winner.

Getafe will finish the weekend in the top half, but are just nine points from safety in what is a tightly-bunched chasing pack ahead of the visit of rivals Racing Santander next week. Málaga remain last and must travel to Villarreal in matchday 24.

Málaga: Arnau; Manolo Gaspar, Demichelis, Weligton, Eliseu; Nacho Camacho (Sandro Silva 63'), Recio; Maresca (Portillo 46'), Baptista, Fernando (Seba 46'); Rondón. Getafe: Ustari; Miguel Torres, Cata Díaz, Marcano, Mané; Pedro Ríos (Víctor Sánchez 81'), Boateng, Casquero, Gavilán (Parejo 86'); Miku (Albín 65'), Colunga.

Getafe 4-1 Deportivo La Coruña: Commanding Getafe turn it around

1-0 Colunga 19'
2-0 Colunga 26'
3-0 Miku 44'
4-0 Pedro Ríos 56'
4-1 Riki (pen.) 68'

Getafe back to winning ways with thumping win over Galicians...
... Positive start showed renewed confidence and definition...

Getafe recorded their first win of 2011 in style by putting four goals past struggling Deportivo La Coruña at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez on Saturday.

Both sides were on miserable runs coming into the early evening fixture, with Geta's last Liga victory being all the way back in mid-December at Almería, and Depor's in Bilbao on January 2nd.

The visitors, with just five away goals to their name coming into this encounter, lined up in a typically defensive 5-4-1, while Getafe modified their usual 4-2-3-1 into a slightly more attacking 4-4-2. Javier Casquero made his return to the first eleven, with Pedro Ríos and Jaime Gavilán supporting Miku and Adrián Colunga from the flanks.

Stats Getafe - Depor 48% Possession 52% 9 Shots on target 9 5 Corners 7 83 Balls Lost 81 71 Balls Recovered 60 5 Yellow Cards 4 0 Red Cards 0 10 Fouls Committed 8

Getafe's mixture of wide and central play had the A Coruña men on the back foot from the outset, and despite an early injury to Miguel Torres the hosts were swiftly to take the lead.

Colunga opened the scoring in the 19th minute with an opportunistic finish after Deportivo's defence completely failed to defend a set-piece counter.

As much as the first goal was a true striker's strike, the second was a work of art. It started with another Deportivo error, Rubén Pérez giving the ball away in midfield, permitting Gavilán to play Colunga through on goal. The forward skipped past Aranzubia and from the narrowest of angles then clipped the ball past the onrushing centre-backs.

On the stroke of half time, Gavilán was again the architect for the third, slotting a low pass for Miku on the edge of the area, allowing the Venezuelan to take the ball on the turn and fire home.

Depor's Riki hit the woodwork just after the break, but Pedro Ríos showed that the hosts were far from finished. Gavilán registered his third assist of the day with a deep cross for the Jerez native to touch past Aranzubia.

Riki pulled one back in the 68th minute with a controversial penalty, given for handball against Víctor Sánchez, but it was abundantly clear by this point that the match was over as a contest.

Getafe travel to Málaga in the next matchday, while Deportivo welcome Villarreal to Galicia.

Getafe: Ustari; Miguel Torres (Víctor Sánchez 17'), Cata Díaz, Marcano, Mané; Pedro Ríos, Boateng (Borja 62'), Casquero, Gavilán; Miku, Colunga (Pablo Pintos 68'.) Deportivo: Aranzubia; Laure, Colotto, Aythami, Zé Castro, Manuel Pablo; Míchel (Riki 46'), Juan Domínguez, Rubén Pérez, Adrián (Xisco 65'); Lassad (Valerón 60'.)