Lower-league football action back with a bang for Malaga province teams

The action returned to the lower leagues of the Spanish footballing pyramid after the brief winter break this weekend and, in Segunda RFEF, it was an excellent round for Vélez.

Despite their financial troubles (with players not having been paid for three months), the side nonetheless showcased resilience to maintain their unbeaten streak at home.

Though UCAM took the lead through Chinchilla, Vélez fought back to equalise via a set-piece header from Adolfo in the 57th minute.

The game changer, however, was Bashiru, who scored two goals in the 78th and 90th minutes, despite only coming on as a substitute, to make it 3-1 and secure seventh place.

Elsewhere, Estepona (fourth) drew 1-1 against Betis B, conceding a late equaliser after Borja Díaz's early second-half goal.

Marbella's struggles persisted, too. Having lost 1-0 at Águilas, they're now winless in six games and sit fifth.

El Palo (16th) also had a tough time, losing 3-0 against Sevilla Atlético, conceding two goals in five minutes and failing to recover.

In the division below, the remaining fixtures of round 14 from the start of December were played. The end result was that Juventud de Torremolinos extended their lead at the top to three points (on 39), just ahead of Torre del Mar (on 36).

They did so by rediscovering their form after their recent struggles and beating Motril 1-0 thanks to a headed goal from defender Edu López in the 79th minute.

Rincón also played but their chances of staying in the division took another blow as they lost 0-2 against Arenas, with a goal in each half from Dani Rachón and Cuero leaving them just one place outside the relegation zone.

Málaga City, meanwhile, are facing a similar situation as their streak of poor results continued with a 6-0 defeat to Almería B, leaving them just a point above.