Marbella warm up for key showdown with hard-fought win

Marbella have really given league leaders Cartagena something to think about ahead of their match-up next week after an emphatic 2-0 win over Jumilla.

Following a tightly-contested first half, two goals in eight minutes in the second was enough to bring the side's points haul to 48.

Coach Fernando Estévez made just one change to the side that got a goalless draw away to Las Palmas but did name three youth players on the bench after injuries to striker Ferrón and midfielder Álex Bernal.

In the first half Marbella struggled to make an impact due to the rigid formation of Jumilla, which stifled Marbella's attacking trio of Indiano, Añón and Corpas.

Meanwhile Caye Quintana posed a headache for the Marbella defence. He put a lot of pressure on the home side's backline and Wilfred had to save several of his shots at full stretch. Marbella went into the dressing room looking like a team with few ideas.

In the second half the players really came into their own. Corpas and Indiano found their passing rhythm and Marbella remained the dominant side throughout the entire half.

At 66 minutes a long ball from Corpas fell to Añón, who caught Jumilla out with an effective counterattack, slotting the ball into the bottom left corner. Just six minutes later Juanfran struck a cross on the edge of the box with a powerful right foot that flew past Jaume Valens.

This win comes as a welcome boost for Marbella who go into their biggest game of the season on Sunday as they take on league leaders Cartagena.