And so the Spanish football season comes to an end with the final legs of the play-offs. The last nine places in Segunda B were up for grabs this weekend and as expected, some matches went down to the wire.
The second legs of two ties were played on Saturday evening, and both teams who came into these matches in the lead extended their advantage to book their place in the higher league. First to gain promotion was San Fernando CD who travelled the length of the country to play CD Laudio just outside Bilbao. Leading 2-0 from the first leg, Ñoño's 83rd minute goal was enough to secure the match.
Equally as comfortable was CD Tudelano's ascent, who travelled to Catarroja with a 4-0 advantage. Pérez Rubio scored the only goal of the match for Tudelano, who return to Segunda B for the first time since 1996.
Sunday lunchtime saw CF Fuenlabrada entertain CF Coria at the Estadio Fernando Torres. The home side added to their 3-0 advantage with a goal from Eloy on 53 minutes and will now return to Segunda B after an absence of four seasons.
Spain's second oldest stadium El Rubial in Águilas saw the home side CDA Águilas take on Basque outfit Barakaldo CF. Hopes were high that the home team could earn promotion after they earned a goalless draw seven days earlier. Perico raised those hopes even higher with a goal on 52 minutes, however five minutes later Garrido got a crucial equaliser for the Barakaldo and they held on to win a place back in the third tier after a season-long absence.
SD Tenisca from La Palma in the Canary Islands & CD Izarra from Navarra played out two ties and extra time without a solitary goal. So the tie went to a penalty shoot-out and it was CD Izarra who held their nerve scoring from all four of their kicks to win 4-2 on penalties.
A month ago CD Binissalem's near neighbour CE Constancia won promotion to Segunda B with a last minute winner. Yesterday Binissalem joined them with a convincing 3-1 win (5-1 Agg) over Real Madrid C. The youngsters from Madrid took the lead on the hour, but goals from García (67´), Javi Fernández (83´pen.) and Javi Fernández in added time sealed the win and promotion.
Peña Sport completed a trio of Navarese teams winning promotion, but it was a nervy and close run affair against Real Racing B who took the lead with a goal from Maxi just before half-time. There were no further goals and Peña Sport hang on to earn promotion thanks to the two away goals scored in the first leg.
A rather strange tie took place in Yelca where home side Yeclano Deportivo played Pobla de Mafumet, who had won the first leg 2-1, but knew they would not be promoted whatever yesterday's result. The reason lies in the fact that Pobla de Mafumet are in fact Gimnastic Tarragona's reserve side and following their relegation to Segunda B, they would not be allowed to play in the same division. Yeclano scored in the 5th minute through Pascui, but the visitors hit back when Oribe scored on 16 minutes. Yeclano levelled the tie when Micky scored with 12 minutes to go and with no further score in the 90 minutes or extra time, the tie went to penalties. Yeclano prevailed 5-4 on penalties to save the RFEF some extra work and a degree of self-inflicted embarrassment.
The final team to earn promotion to Segunda B was Atlético Sanluqueño who beat Extremadura UD 3-1 on aggregate. The team from just outside of Cádiz came into the second leg with a 1-0 advantage from the first leg in Almendralejo, and they doubled their lead when Gallardo scored on 54 minutes. Carlos Rubén threw Extremadura a lifeline with a penalty on 75 minutes, and as the visitors chased a second that would earn them promotion, Sanluqueño scored on the break when Gallardo netted his second, three minutes into added time.
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| Atlético Sanluqueño - El Palmar |
You can read about all of the promoted teams by clicking on the text beneath the picture of their stadium. All that is except Atlético Sanluqueño, who I have yet to cover on these pages. And with that, we bid a found farewell to the 2011-12 season.
Labels: End of Season Play-offs
