Sunday 1 February 2015 19:35, UK
A solitary goal by Edgar Mendez saw Almeria pick up a vital 1-0 victory over fellow Primera Division strugglers Getafe.
The winger broke the deadlock in the 44th minute and the goal proved enough to decide an exciting and highly contested encounter which saw both sides finish with 10 men, with Almeria forward Tomer Hemed following Getafe's Sergio Escudero down the tunnel after being shown a second yellow card.
The win was Almeria's first home victory of the season and sees them climb out of the relegation zone and move within one point of Getafe, who lie 15th in the table.
Almeria saw a strong penalty appeal turned down when Edgar was caught in the box by Alvaro Arroyo and from the resulting corner Mauro dos Santos headed the ball off the bar.
Then Getafe launched their first attack of the game. Pablo Sarabia threaded a pass through to Alvaro Vazquez to put the striker clean through on goal but the reliable Julian Cuesta came out to make a vital save.
The goalkeeper was also tested by Sarabia later in the half but again stood firm.
Despite their slow start, Getafe looked on top by the end of the first half but conceded a soft goal just before the break.
Cuesta booted a free-kick high up the pitch and Soriano flicked it into the path of Hemed, who released Edgar. The home-grown winger controlled the ball and beat a defender before arrowing the ball into the far bottom corner with his left foot to score his fourth goal of the season.
Edgar nearly got a second goal early in the second half when he headed a corner towards goal but this time Getafe stopper Jordi Codina was equal to the effort.
After being fortunate to not concede a penalty in the first half, Getafe were then surrounding referee Ignacio Iglesias Vilanueva when Trujillo brought down Vazquez in the box.
But soon Almeria were protesting the official's decisions again down the other end as Michel Macedo bundled the ball home on the rebound after Codina had saved from Verza but the effort was chalked off for offside.
Getafe were struggling to create chances and their task was made all the harder when Escudero picked up a second yellow card shortly after the hour mark for a late tackle on Macedo.
But Almeria lost their numerical advantage 20 minutes later when Hemed was also dismissed for a second booking.
That led to a late spell of pressure for Getafe, but the Madrid side were unable to find an equaliser.
