MATCH REPORT | CF UE Tavernes 2-2 CD Jávea
Goals from Luis and Cabo secured a valuable point in Tavernes de la Valldigna.
Sunday 14th May 2023
Mike Smith
And so it goes down to the wire as CD Jávea’s incredible fight for a TOP8 spot draws to a dramatic close. A point might just be enough but Calpe’s stunning 5-0 thrashing of SD Sueca means that just three points separates the two Marina Alta clubs with one game to go. The Calpinos have a better goal difference – by a single goal – and host lowly UD Canals, whilst CD Jávea will have to pull out all the stops when they face powerful league champions-elect Ontinyent 1931 CF at the Campo d’Esports. Avoiding defeat against a side that has won 26 of its 32 games is going to be a tough task – but not impossible for a side that oozes belief and confidence at the moment.
The style of play that head coach Julio Ivorra has developed in the senior side since he took over last December might just be the key and the rojiblancos began this game in that same calm and confident manner, passing the ball around, using Paco as a pivot, making it and their opponents do the hard work. It is a game of patience and, as we have seen in recent weeks, it pays off much of the time.
Jávea had a couple of early chances through Rubén Ortolá and Carlos Bisquert, the latter forcing the keeper into the save at full-stretch to push the ball around the post for a corner. Later, a free kick taken by Marcos just outside the area was well-blocked by the wall, the ball dropping clear to Rubén who scuffed his half-volley and the ball went harmlessly wide.
Tavernes had their moments too. Vicent Talens proved to be a tricky opponent for an otherwise solid defensive line of Joan, Aldo Michan, Marcos Bisquert and the ever-improving Mario Izquierdo. On the half-hour, he might have done better when he skipped through the defence but slid his shot just wide with the keeper beaten. A few minutes later, a long shot from the edge of the area from Marc Talens briefly wrong foots Tonet but the keeper recovers enough to collect the ball into his chest.
The break arrived on 34 minutes. Luís García twisted and turned down the left before coming inside to the edge of the area and unleashing a powerful low shot across the keeper who could do little other than pick the ball out of the net a few seconds later. A typical stunning strike from the 20-year-old, his seventh of the season.
Five minutes later, Tavernes almost equalised when Marc Talens managed to get off a shot under pressure at the edge of the area which Tonet managed to push onto the post at full stretch. And then, on the stroke of half-time, heartbreak for the rojiblancos as the hosts won a debatable free kick right in front of an incensed away bench, the ball floated into a crowded penalty area where a head nodded it back across the goal to Vicent Blasco who headed home into an empty net with Tonet stranded to make it 1-1 at the break.
The equaliser clearly shook the rojiblancos who started the second-half with an uncharacteristic nervousness and Tavernes took the lead on 46 minutes with a crazy goal, a rare mistake in defence allowing substitute Joan Talens to tap home into another empty from three yards. The celebrations were momentarily muted for it seemed that the tall #9 must have been offside but no flag was raised and the goal stood.
Jávea needed to find that confidence again, they were clearly rattled and Tavernes drove forward, taking advantage, and Tonet was made to work hard to keep them at bay. On 57 minutes, the home side thought that they had scored again but this time it was scored from an offside position, a far less obvious decision that the goal ten minutes earlier.
The rojiblancos regrouped as Tomás Calvo was brought on for Rubén, composed themselves and started to pass the ball around again. On 72 minutes, the pressure might have paid off when José Cabo was tripped inside the area and the referee awarded a spot kick. Cabo himself took the responsibility and sent the keeper the wrong way with a low shot to the right. However, the ball hit the custodian’s legs and bounced up to hit the bar and rebound back into play.
Three minutes later, skipper Aldo forced a corner with a powerful shot from just inside the area that had the keeper at full-stretch to push around the post. And then, on 78 minutes, Jávea won another penalty after Elian was brought down just inside the area and this time it was Luís García who took the ball and placed it on the spot. He went to the right, the same side as José Cabo, and this time the keeper guessed right and stretched to push the ball wide.
And then, on 88 minutes, Jávea found the equaliser. Substitute Tomás forced a corner which was taken by Fran. The ball was floated into the crowd on the edge of the six-yard box where defender Mario rose highest to nod the ball past the keeper to score his third goal in two games and, perhaps most importantly, salvage a point for the rojiblancos.
At the final whistle, the Jávea players clenched their fists in muted celebration. A win would have put their destiny beyond doubt, a TOP8 finish and a place in the inaugural Lliga Comunitat. A point is clearly better than nothing. But, with Calpe winning at Sueca, it will all go down to the wire and the rojiblancos will once again be looking for that noisy support from the stand once again, the 12th player.
CF UE TAVERNES
Vidal, Castilla, Palomares, Hayrapetyan, Vicent Talens, O’Hara, Alberola, Campos (Joan Talens, 46m), Marc Talens (Pellicer, 76m), Bernaldez (Camarena, 82m), Blasco.
Subs not used: Sala (GK).
Booked: Palomares (42m), Marc Talens (64m), Castilla (72m), Alberola (87m).
Head Coach: Eduardo Revert Abril.
CD Jávea
Tonet, Bataller, Mario, Marcos, Luís, Paco (Fran, 42m), Cabo, Aldo, Carlos (Álvaro, 90m), Elian, Rubén (Tomás, 58m).
Subs not used: Aaron (GK), Caturla, Adrián, Umar.
Booked: Elian (87m), Paco (89m).
Head Coach: Julio Ivorra González
Remaining Games
CD Jávea: Ontinyent 1831 CF (H)
UD Calpe: UD Canals (H)
UD Carcaixent: CE La Font d’En Carròs (A); CF Cullera (H)
CE La Font d’En Carròs: UD Carcaixent (H); UD Castellonense (A)
Why is a top eight spot important?
In October 2022, the 55 clubs of the Regional Preferente voted to create a new regional tier – the Lliga Comunitat – which will become the highest division in the Comunidad Valenciana and will consist of two groups of 16 teams. It will begin next season – 2023-2024 – and will be the feeder division into the Tercera Federación, the bottom tier of the national pyramid system. The group winners would win automatic promotion whilst the second and third placed teams in each group would play-off for the remaining two spots. The bottom three in each group will be relegated to the Primera FFCV.
The current Regional Preferente will become the Primera FFCV and consist of four groups as it does now. The group winners would win automatic promotion to the Lliga Comunitat whilst the two remaining spots will be claimed by the winners of the play-offs between the runners-up in each group. The bottom three in each group will be relegated to the Segona FFCV. The bottom tier will be renamed Tercera FFCV.
In order to form the two groups of the Lliga Comunitat, it was agreed that the top eight teams of the current four groups of the Regional Preferente would qualify, except those four teams who win promotion to the Tercera Federación through the end-of-season play-offs; they will be replaced by those teams relegated from the higher division.
