Granada made history yet again on Thursday evening, beating Molde on aggregate in the Europa League last 16 to secure their place in the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time.
They actually lost 2-1 on the night at the Puskas Arena, but were carried safely through courtesy of their 2-0 victory back in Andalusia the previous Thursday evening.
Jesus Vallejo scored an own goal to give Molde the lead only for veteran striker Roberto Soldado to equalise. Eirik Hestad then made it 2-1, but the first leg score, coupled with the vital away goal, proved superb insurance.
Granada, whose previous peak came back in the 1970s, are living the best moment of their history under Diego Martinez. They came up to La Liga in 2019 and have thrived ever since, finishing seventh last season to squeak into European competition for the first time in their history. They knocked out Napoli in the last 32.
On top of their European success, they’ve maintained their league form and are sitting comfortably in mid-table. A club defined by their struggle, Martinez has built a phenomenally competitive team and Granada and their supporters are now bearing its fruit.
