HE Elche CF’s dressing room was left flat after Sunday’s setback against Cartagena, with everyone aware of what slipped away. For the first time this season, the team had a real chance to break into the playoff places for promotion to the First Division. A win would have lifted Elche into a top-six position. Instead, they remained fifth in the standings, reflecting a missed opportunity that stung in the moment.
The match unfolded with difficulty, as Cartagena took control early and built a lead that the Franjiverde could not overturn. The visitors dictated the tempo in the first half, leaving Elche chasing the result from the start and making the path back seem steeper as the minutes passed.
Elche is playing with fire… and it’s burning
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Fans watched with peak energy around the Franjiverde complex, feeling the tension rise as the home side tried to respond to the challenge with urgency and intensity.
Elche party goes to Cartagena
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Beccacece’s expression stayed grave after the meeting, signaling the seriousness of the moment and the need for clear corrective steps.
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As hours passed, the mood in the dressing room began to ease slightly, tempered by the reminder that the league table remained unforgiving. Still, the setback did not erase the viability of the playoff chase as rivals also stumbled along the way.
From the top six, only Valladolid managed a win on the day, keeping pace in a tightly packed race. Leganés and Valladolid pulled off draws or wins that tightened the gap behind them, while Elche added to a stretch of home results that will need an immediate positive turn.
Leganés could not shake off Eldense in a 1-1 stalemate at home, slipping into second place while remaining in the direct promotion line. Valladolid rose to second with a 2-1 win over Amorebieta, keeping pressure on the leaders.
Gijón and Zaragoza each earned a point with a 0-0 draw at home, while Eibar and Andorra both dropped points—Ferrol and Racing also faced defeats as the league moved on. Huesca remained in the mix amid a slate of results that tested every team’s resilience.
With Elche dropping a rung to eighth on 29 points, direct promotion bands widened slightly, and the gap to the two play-off spots grew for a moment before the weekend’s fixtures offered fresh possibilities. The table, though unsettled, still left Elche within reach of the postseason if a run of consistency could be found.
Elche misses a big opportunity but defeat against Cartagena still matters
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The team then shifted focus to forthcoming matches against Oviedo and Mirandés, aiming to minimize the setback. After a concise dressing-room debrief, Beccacece outlined the errors in Cartagena and set a plan to lift the mood and sharpen execution ahead of Friday’s clash at Oviedo, scheduled for 20:30 at Carlos Tartiere.
The squad prepared to squeeze as many points as possible from the two remaining league games before the Christmas break. Friday’s duel in Oviedo would be followed by a visit to Martínez Valero on Tuesday, December 19, with kickoff at 21:30, where Mirandés awaited on home soil.
The aim remains clear: push toward the Christmas break in playoff contention. After the Cartagena defeat, a direct promotion push could be difficult, but there is still time, with 23 days and 69 points left to decide the fate. The path ahead will be challenging, but Elche’s squad retains a legitimate chance if the form and results align with the season’s high standards.