Elche earn breathing space in the Liga BBVA

Elche beat Rayo Vallecano 2-0 in the final fixture of matchday 22 of the Liga BBVA. The result sees them move out of the relegation zone, while it is now three straight defeats for Paco Jémez’s men.

Elche were full value for their victory right from the encounter’s early stages. Jonathas came close to opening the scoring, but in the end it was team-mate Damián Suárez who put his side ahead, with a powerful long-range drive that is without doubt one of the matchday’s most spectacular goals. The hosts’ tails were up from there on, and just two minutes later David Lombán had a great chance to double their advantage, but the score remained 1-0 at the break.

The second half saw opportunities on goal for both sides. Alberto Bueno and Roberto Trashorras had efforts for Rayo, as did Fayçal Fajr and Mario Pašalić for the home team. However, it was Elche who got their reward in the closing minutes, sealing a 2-0 win as Rodrigues found the net after a neat one-two with Fayçal.