Not even playing at home. Not even favoring the results of other fields. Valladolid needed to win and it did not go beyond a 0-0 draw against Getafe. The pucelanos fall back into the well. Zorrilla was filled with tears and sadness after savoring for a few minutes, more due to someone else’s demerit – from AlmerÃa in Cornellà – than due to his own successes, salvation. The day was dramatic and ended with the relegation of the people from Valladolid, powerless, while AlmerÃa, Cádiz, Getafe, Valencia and Celta –the only one who came with water around their necks who won– celebrated their permanence .
Valladolid is having a hard time settling in the First Division. Since the 2004 relegation they have never managed to spend more than three consecutive seasons in the top flight. This time he returns to the pit just one year after achieving promotion. It is the second relegation in three courses for the Brazilian Ronaldo’s project and the fifth for the club in the 21st century.
Not even winning against Barça or not losing in the last three days has saved him. The five defeats in a row between the end of April and the beginning of May weighed like a stone.
Yesterday, the team was seen without ideas and very dense against a Getafe that has only lost one game with Bordalás in the last six days. On the bench, Pezzolano risked it by bringing on two attacking players like Lucas Rosa and Sergio León. But there was no way. David Soria barely intervened on one occasion.
What’s more, the person who came closest to scoring was Jaime Mata, but Masip flew in to save the header over the line. “Now there is no comfort. It’s a shame for everyone. I can’t say anything more”, the Catalan goalkeeper apologized to the fans.
Despite not moving the score, Valladolid was saved for 23 minutes in the second half. The goals from Pierre-Gabriel and Koleosho, who put Espanyol ahead twice in Cornellà (2-1 and 3-2), condemned AlmerÃa.
However, Adri Embarba equalized on both occasions. The first, with a soft Vaseline before the departure of Joan Garcia –nine minutes the 2-1 lasted–. The second when transforming a Simo penalty on Ramazani that at first the referee did not see and the VAR showed him. That goal, in minute 87, 14 minutes after 3-2, was worth salvation (3-3). With the goal accomplished, coach Rubi announced the end of his stage.
At Betis-Valencia Ayoze scored on the first play. Before starting the second part –we had to wait for all the matches to start in unison–, at VillamarÃn they decided to chant JoaquÃn’s name. The 41-year-old player from Puerto de Santa MarÃa could not hold back his tears when he saw all his people devoted to his farewell on the day that equaled Andoni Zubizarreta’s record of 622 First Division games. Without him on the field, Valencia made it 1-1 thanks to a great recovery by Nico González, on loan from Barça, who filtered a very good pass to the youth squad Diego López so that he beat Claudio Bravo (71), to finish off the problems of the ché club, which played with fire but did not get burned.
Cádiz got the job done earlier thanks to a 10th minute Escalante goal at Elx. Signed in winter, the Argentine midfielder, who went down with Alavés last year, has been one of the architects of the Cádiz permanence with four goals. It didn’t matter that his compatriot Boyé already scored in the second half the equalizer with a header from a corner. The drama was Valladolid.
