Mata relieved to bounce back with Leganes’ scalp
Getafe striker Jaime Mata felt Friday night’s 3-0 win at Leganes was important for morale after a poor run of results.
The visitors claimed Madrid’s ‘mini-derby’, with Mata adding the third goal on 33 minutes after Leandro Cabrera and Allan-Romeo Nyom has already found the back of the net.
Getafe moved up to fifth spot in the La Liga table after bouncing back from consecutive losses to Villarreal and Real Madrid.
They were also beaten 2-0 by third-tier Badalona in the Copa del Rey and the wheels were in danger of falling off after a seven-game unbeaten run prior to the Villarreal defeat.
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However, Jose Bordalas’ side is still very much in the hunt for European football next season although, with other clubs around them having a game in hand, it may be a struggle to make the top four.
Mata was delighted with the result and the way his team-mates got stuck in at Estadio Municipal de Butarque, feeling it was vital to get the show back on the road after a disappointing sequence.
“We knew that, besides being a derby, Leganes plays very intensely at home and that we had to match their intensity,” he said. “We found our scoring touch early. To get the win after three losses in a row is important.”
Getafe are looking to mix it with the big boys of Spanish football and had hoped to take midfielder Brahim Diaz on loan from Real Madrid this January.
However, the 20-year-old rejected the chance to move and the possibility of regular first-team football.
