Despite the immense pressure to get all three points, Cadiz began confidently. However, navigating through the opposition backline proved tricky, with Las Palmas themselves looking to continue building after ending an eight match losing streak with a hard-fought point against Betis.
Mathematically needing only a point to confirm their top-flight stay, Garcia Pimienta’s outfit held strong as the Yellow Submarine looked to find the promised land of a priceless lead.
And Cadiz thought they’d found it seven minutes from the break, with a tap-in at the far post. Unfortunately for the hosts, referee Cesar Soto Grado played spoilsport by silencing Javi Hernandez’s celebrations for offside in the build-up. Striker Chris Ramos then missed a brilliant opportunity inches wide of the left post, which spared the visitors the burden of trailing at half-time – a position from which they’ve rescued just two points from a possible 36.
With only Barcelona defeating Cadiz at home across their last six league fixtures, Pio Pio were tasked with a difficult challenge, and their ominous seven match winless streak on the road dating back to January didn’t help either.
The fact that Real Mallorca were trailing to the already-relegated Almeria at the same time only boosted the home faithful’s hopes, as Cadiz began increasing their intensity going into the final 20 minutes. However, things soon went haywire. Mauricio Pellegrino eventually saw his men reduced to ten, as Victor Chust was sent off for a clumsy sliding tackle on the break as the last man standing.
As a result, Cadiz’s intensity ultimately dampened, and the home crowd witnessed their beloved team get relegated from the top-flight with the draw. They will now seek to secure a potential seventh win of the season against Almeria on the final matchday.
Meanwhile, despite confirming their top-flight stay, Las Palmas now remain winless in 13 straight league games since winning 2-0 against Valencia in February, their worst winless run in a single top-flight campaign since 2017/18.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Rafael Jimenez Jarque (Cadiz)
