Crevillente cruise to 4-1 friendly victory at Santomera

Crevillente produced a clinical attacking display to beat Santomera 4-1 in an international club friendly on Thursday night. The visitors, from the Alicante region, were ahead early and never looked back, using the match to fine-tune their systems ahead of the competitive season. For the hosts from Murcia, it proved a tough night but one that will provide essential fitness work.

The pattern of the game was set inside the opening ten minutes when Crevillente opened the scoring with a neat finish from a pull-back. Santomera tried to respond and saw a decent spell of pressure, but they were caught out again before the break as the visitors doubled their lead with a strong header from a corner. The 2-0 half-time scoreline slightly flattered the away side, who had been efficient rather than dominant, but they came out after the restart intent on killing the game away.

Two quick goals early in the second half made it 4-0, with Santomera looking shell-shocked. To their credit, the hosts kept working and were rewarded with a well-taken consolation goal late on, but it was little more than a footnote as Crevillente controlled the final stages and ran out convincing winners.

Pre-season friendlies are primarily about rhythm and sharpness, and Crevillente will be delighted with the balance between attacking invention and defensive solidity. Santomera coach will have noted the positive attitude after the goals went in, and both clubs will now move on to the next tests in their preparation programmes.