Ulloa at the double for Almeria

Posted Sunday, January 23, 2011 by PA

Almeria continued their recent revival with a 3-2 victory over Osasuna to move off the foot of the table.

Having drawn with Real Madrid last weekend and beaten Deportivo La Coruna in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals in midweek, Jose Luis Oltra's men impressed again at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterraneos.

Carlos Garcia Badias and Leonardo Ulloa put them ahead, before Carlos Aranda gave Osasuna hope, only for Ulloa to notch his second after the break.

Dejan Lekic did respond again for the visitors in stoppage time, but it was too little, too late.

Pablo Piatti signalled Almeria's intentions with a 35-yard drive inside the opening two minutes, and as the game clicked into its eighth minute, they were ahead.

Hernan Bernadello's corner fell kindly for Garcia Badias and he made no mistake from inside the six-yard box.

Osasuna were stung by the early strike and found themselves further behind just three minutes later.

This time Michel was the provider, with one of his crosses locating Ulloa who rammed home.

It was going to take something special to steady the ship for Osasuna and they got it after 23 minutes, with Aranda lashing in from the edge of the area.

That signalled the start of some Osasuna pressure and Javier Camunas worked Alves in the Almeria goal just seconds later.

Marcelo Silva nodded straight at Ricardo Lopez as Almeria went close before the break, and they went even closer after it when Kala Uche sliced horribly wide when Bernadello had played him in.

But, a third goal did arrive in the 55th minute, with Ulloa picking up his second when he got on the end of Michael Jakobsen's cross.

Piatti hit wide as he looked to make it four, with Fabian Vargas keeping Almeria two goals to the good when he cleared Francisco Punal's shot off the line.

Lekic nodded home for Osasuna in the 92nd minute to give them a slim chance, but, when Aranda drove wide moments later, the game was up.

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