Jonathas pulls Elche out of the relegation zone

Elche CF closed the first half of the season with a 1-0 win against a direct opponent in their bid to stay up, Levante UD. This result affirms the great start to the year Fran Escribá's players are enjoying, having already drawn with Villarreal CF and beaten Athletic Club in 2015.

Levante suffered their first setback in the 6th minute when David Navarro's sending off left them with ten men. Shortly afterwards, Jonathas de Jesús put the home side ahead when he headed home an Aarón Ñíguez cross in the 12th minute. Diego Mariño prevented it from going 2-0 with a penalty save in the 20th minute. Despite being a man down and a goal behind, Levante threatened in the final third of the pitch. Following Víctor Camarasa’s headed effort from a free kick, Víctor Casadesús found himself in a nice position but struck his shot wide.

While Mariño was the star of the first half, Przemysław Tytoń took centre stage after the break by saving a Rubén García penalty. Iván López tried to grab an equaliser with a long-range effort but Tytón was able to deal with it easily. This win moves Elche up to sixteenth with 17 points. Levante, with a point less, are second from bottom.