Week 2 Results

MURCIA 1 LEVANTE 2
XEREZ 2 ALBACETE 1
ALAVÉS 1 CORDOBA 0
SEVILLA AT 1 SALAMANCA 1
GIMNÁSTIC 1 HUESCA 1
LAS PALMAS 2 ELCHE 0
GIRONA 3 ALICANTE 0
CASTELLÓN 2 CELTA 0
EIBAR 3 TENERIFE 2
ZARAGOZA 2 REAL SOCIEDAD 2
HÉRCULES 1 RAYO VALLECANO 1

Week Two of La Segunda Division was played amidst all of the World Cup qualifiers going on around the world. Luckily, most teams in La Segunda Division are unaffected by these games so they can play with their rosters fully in tact.

One game of particular note was the Murcia-Levante game. These are two teams who faced off last year in the Primera Division. At the beginning of the season last year, Murcia had the look of a team that might actually stay up. Unfortunately a very poor 'vuelta' did them in and they were destined for El Infierno.

Levante, on the other hand, finished dead last. But you would be hard pressed to find another last place team which carried themselves with such honor. You see, for the bulk of the season, the Levante players didn't even get paid. The club was experiencing severe financial problems. Week after week, this team would trot out onto the pitch never knowing if they would get another paycheck. Sure, at a Madrid or Barcelona, they are so well paid that you never feel sorry for any of the players. Not so at Levante. Soon enough, these guys were having to live off of credit, move into the homes of family or girlfriends just to stay afloat. It was a tough situation indeed. But still, through it all, they kept their heads high and made a game of it when they faced the 'gigantes'. When they hosted Real Madrid, Los Blancos were lucky to escape with a 0-2 win with Van Nistlerooy's game-winner not arriving until the 71st. Similarly, they had Barcelona on their heels in the Nou Camp for a good 40 minutes until Barca pulled away in the second half.

There was talk that since Levante had such financial hardship, that they might have to be relegated all the way down to Segunda B. That didn't happen and the majority of the players that were there last year have moved on to stable paying jobs and rightfully so. For a club that has had great futbolistas like Johan Cruyff and Peja Mijatovic wear its colors, it was an embarassing situation. Levante's financial situation has been corrected with help from La Liga officials and now they sit in of the promotion spots early in the season. They are one to keep an eye on during the season and perhaps a return to La Liga may be in store. Good for them.

La Clasificacion:

1. Girona - 6
2. Eibar - 6
3. Levante - 6
4. Xerez - 6
5. Hercules - 4
6. Castellon - 4
7. Real Sociedad - 4
8. Rayo Vallecano - 4
9. Alaves - 4
10. Las Palmas - 3
11. Tenerife - 3
12. Albacete - 3
13. Huesca - 2
14. Salamanca - 2
15. Gimnastic de Tarragona - 1
16. Zaragoza - 1
17. Sevilla At. - 1
18. Murcia - 0
19. Celta - 0
20. Elche - 0
21. Alicante - 0
22. Cordoba - 0