CF HARÍA 1 LANZAROTE 2, 1st April 2018,

CF HARÍA 1 LANZAROTE 2, 1^st April 2018,

Two first half goals by returning captain Ayoze Pérez was just enough to win the last island derby of the season and move the Rojillos up to fourth spot.

Many residents and tourists had to set their Sat Navs going into the deep depths of Lanzarote to find their way into the Valley of a Thousand Palms. Many thanks to all of you who joined the bus trip as we sold every seat and the club made 210 Euros which will go towards a new Player of the Year cup and memento.

Heading down to the beautiful village of Haría.

It didn’t take long for the British and Irish fans to acclimatize as the bar offered huge pints of beer and tasty chicken and gammon bocadillos (rolls) amid beautiful scenery in a friendly village football ground.

The opening stages of the match were fairly even, though, it wasn’t long until the away side began taking control.

The lively winger Gaston had the first clear opportunity, in the 11^th minute he received the ball from a low cross by Dani García on the right, he hit his strike well on the second attempt whilst off balance and from 10 yards the ball inched past the left hand post.

Gaston going close early on.

A great bit of class from Ayoze Pérez in the 21^st minute saw him dummy a shot to lose his defender on the edge of the box then strike a powerful right footed effort into the top left hand corner to give his side a deserved 0-1 lead.

Lanzarote were intent on getting that decisive second goal as soon as possible and were closing down the Northerners defence forcing them into errors.

In the 27^th minute Rojillos forward Trujillo chased down the Haría keeper Igrail, the Haría number one had no choice but to blast the ball away which ricocheted off the Lanzarote striker and with relief for the home side the ball just went wide of the goal.

Just after the half hour the Rojillos superiority got its just rewards following a good run from Kamara down the left flank. He released a killer pass to Ayoze Pérez and from 12 yards the Lanzarote captain made no mistake, with just one touch he thumped the ball home and his side were coasting with a 0-2 lead.

Captain Marvel Ayoze Pérez with his and his sides second goal.

The only moment of danger for Lanzarote in the first half occurred in the 40^th minute. The ball fell to the edge of the right side of the penalty area and midfielder Efrén struck well but keeper Sasha gathered the ball on the second attempt.

A sweeping move seconds before the break ended with Lanzarote thinking that they were going to go into the interval three goals to the good when Trujillo finished off from close range. The assistant raised his flag for offside to the relief of the home fans still knowing that they had a mountain to climb to prevent their 10^th straight defeat.

Whilst Haría had been taught a football lesson in the opening period it was José Labrador´s men that came out fired for the second half. The Haría manager can feel proud of the spirited attitude of his players.

Led by Captain Oscar Vladimir (Vladi) who was showing flashes of his old brilliance that he used to do week in week out for the Rojillos and he will always be remembered for scoring the goal that pulled Lanzarote level 1-1 into the break against the Mighty Real Madrid back in 2001 in the Copa Del Rey.

Lanzarote´s former and current captains battling away in midfield.

Under his guidance the veteran footballer (number 10) urged on his team mates and had Lanzarote rattled.

In the opening minute the home side were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area. The deflected effort led to a string of corners and after some desperate defending the Rojillos finally cleared their lines.

In the 50^th minute a deep corner from Enrique Castaño found defender Kamara, his incredible leap and thumping header looked impressive but the ball cleared the crossbar by a yard or so.

A couple of minutes short of the hour and hesitant defending allowed defender Carlos Rosa to pounce and from 10 yards struck wide of Sasha into the right hand corner to reduce the deficit to 1-2 which injected a dose of adrenalin into the home side.

Winger Onofre was one of Haria´s most productive players and he had a couple of decent chances to level the score as his side looked the more dangerous.

Rojillos manager played a trump card by bringing on Miguel Gómez. Probably Lanzarote´s most versatile player was used in midfield and took the pressure off his defence by running at his opponents at pace. This and with the introduction of Borja the Rojillos once again took charge and looked the more likely to get the next goal.

Borja (left) with Miguel Gómez doing a great job steadying the ship.

In the 84^th minute another good run from Miguel Gómez saw him cut in from the right wing and deliver a fierce low shot which was well saved by Igrail.

The steam eventually ran out of Vladi and his brave men as they bowed to defeat and with a 16 point gap to safety and with just six games remaining it looks as though Haria´s first ever season in the Tercera Division will end in relegation.

Two of Lanzarote´s finest (Vladi) left with Ayoze Pérez.

Lanzarote have hit form late in the season taking 22 out of a possible 24 points and are sitting in fourth spot, four points clear of CD Santa Úrsula with a game in hand who are their closest rivals to the last playoff position available.

Next Sunday 8^th April at 12 noon Lanzarote are at home CD El Cotillo. The Fuerteventura side have had a difficult season and are just three points off the relegation positions.

The other local side U.S. Yaiza lost away to fourth from bottom CF Estrella despite taking a 0-1 lead but do remain in 10^th spot.

GOALS