Jonathas leads Elche to victory

Elche CF got back to winning ways in the Liga BBVA after six games without a victory when they overcame RCD Espanyol 2-1 through a Jonathas brace. For the visitors, it was Christian Stuani, from the penalty spot, who closed the gap five minutes before the end. 

Both teams got off to a bright start. The two sides made the most of the early stages and had good chances on the opposition goal, but it was Elche who were most accurate. The Brazilian forward Jonathas opened the scoring with a superb header. The goal spurred Espanyol on and they fought back with more desire than good football, but they were unable to score in the first half despite runs from Sergio García and Christian Stuani. 

After the break, there was another goal for Elche. It was Jonathas once again who doubled the home side’s lead, before they fell back to defend. Espanyol never gave up in their efforts to rescue a point from their trip to Alicante and they came close to doing so when Stuani converted a penalty five minutes from the final whistle. It was a nervy finish at the Martínez Valero, but Elche were able to hold on and claim the three points.