Real Valladolid will play La Liga football next season after beating Numancia 4-1 on aggregate in the Segunda playoff Final.
Having destroyed Numancia 3-0 away from home in the first leg, Valladolid naturally took their foot off the gas in Saturday’s return fixture and only drew 1-1 courtesy of Jaime Mata’s stoppage-time equaliser.
Nonetheless, that was enough for Sergio Gonzalez’s side to end their four-year absence from the Spanish top flight.
“It’s the players who made this possible,” the former Espanyol and Deportivo La Coruna midfielder said after the game.
“They’re a very good group, with whom I forged a great connection from the start, and they’ve given everything.”
The Blanquivioletas join Huesca and Rayo Vallecano in gaining promotion from Segunda, the trio replacing Deportivo La Coruna, Las Palmas and Malaga.
Image credit @realvalladolid via Twitter
