The Estadio Gran Canaria proved to be the unbeatable scene for Las Palmas as they achieved their sixth successful promotion to La Liga. After an odyssey of having to overcome countless obstacles, the Canary Islands club finally managed to achieve a dream that has been absent for 14 seasons. Almost a lifetime.
The 3-1 defeat from the first leg at La Romareda was no bridge too far for Paco Herrera and his men, who managed to turns nerves into joy on the streets, in the stands and across the whole island. The goals from Roque, in the first half, and Araújo, in the second, were enough to see Las Palmas finally promoted.
The first half started with all the tension in the world stocked up in the stands and on the pitch. The script of the clash went as expected with the hosts attacking in search of a vital breakthrough. Herrera’s men spent the opening minutes around the goal of Bono, who had to do well to deny an early Viera free-kick. Willian José then saw claims for a penalty waved away by the referee. Zaragoza eventually managed to stem the tide of the pressure and a corner-kick ended up bouncing off the crossbar, cleared by Culio. Las Palmas realised their visitors were also playing and their fans sang louder than ever: “Yes we can!”.
The first goal of the afternoon, some hope, came after 32 minutes from a powerful finish from Roque. Ángel stole the ball in the middle of the pitch and Culio managed to open up the wing and allow the club’s youth product to fire the hosts ahead.
After the goal, the match died down in levels of intensity until the end of the first half. There were tame attempts by both sides but few risks were taken before the decisive second half.
There were few surprises in store in the second half. Las Palmas sought the goal that would see them promoted and Popovic’s men did likewise on the counter-attack to finish the job. Herrera’s men upped their gear as the minutes ticked away and both Viera and Araújo came close. Zaragoza were playing with fire and David García sent a header crashing against the crossbar from a corner. The decisive goal was not far away.
In the final minutes the hosts started their siege on the Zaragoza goal in a desperate attempt to score the crucial goal. The miracle came from the boots of the top scorer. Araújo finished things off in the 83rd minute and the euphoria was unleashed on the Estadio Gran Canaria as Las Palmas celebrated rejoining the elite.