The Andalusian side defeated UD Las Palmas 1-0 on the road, while the other semi-final first leg finished 1-1 between CD Castellón and UD Almería.
The LALIGA HYPERMOTION promotion playoffs are up and running, and the first legs finished positively for the two Andalusian sides seeking a return to LALIGA EA SPORTS. In the first game, played on Saturday, hosts CD Castellón took the lead but were pegged back by UD Almería to give Los Rojiblancos a slight advantage ahead of the second leg at their stadium. In Sunday’s semi-final first leg, Málaga CF earned an impressive 1-0 win away at UD Las Palmas, allowing fans of Los Boquerones to really start dreaming. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.
There’s still a long way to go in both ties, though. UD Almería vs CD Castellón will be a tense game, taking place at 21:00 CEST on Tuesday night. Then, Málaga CF will look to finish the job at home against UD Las Palmas, with that one kicking off at the same time on Wednesday. Before those second legs, let’s look back at the first leg drama.
CD Castellón vs UD Almería: Arribas is the saviour once again
After securing sixth place on the final day of the season, some might have expected that CD Castellón would just be happy to be there in the playoffs. But, the team from the east coast quickly showed that they want much more. They want to return to LALIGA EA SPORTS for the first time since 1990/91.
Even though they were missing two players who have been called up for the World Cup, Brian Cipenga and Awer Mabil, Los Albinegros started this playoff semi-final brilliantly, eventually getting the goal they deserved when Fabrizio Brignani turned in from a corner at the very end of the first half.
UD Almería improved, however, especially once Nico Melamed came on in the second half. And Sergio Arribas, who was the top scorer of this entire LALIGA HYPERMOTION season, continued his great scoring form with a strike in the 66th minute from inside the penalty area, making this a 1-1 final score and giving his team the slight advantage, since they’ll be at home for Tuesday’s second leg.
UD Las Palmas vs Málaga CF: A special goal to take the lead
In the other semi-final, Málaga CF have a significant advantage after managing to win away from home in the first leg. And, the goal to win the game was a special one, worthy of deciding any playoff tie. With the Andalusian side venturing forward in the second half, Dani Lorenzo played a brilliant backheel to set up David Larrubia for the finish.
That was in the 57th minute and Los Boquerones held on to that lead, despite UD Las Palmas giving their all in the final stages. As such, they hold a one-goal advantage ahead of the second leg on Wednesday at what will be a packed Estadio La Rosaleda.
This second leg will be a clash between the fourth-best home team and the fourth-best away team of the regular season, so anything could happen. But, entering a home playoff second leg with a headstart puts Málaga CF in an excellent position as they aim to play in LALIGA EA SPORTS again for the first time since 2017/18.
