Zaragoza come back to continue dreaming of the Liga BBVA

Real Zaragoza will take on UD Las Palmas to fight it out for promotion to the Liga BBVA after turning things around in the first round of the playoffs by cancelling out the adverse result in the first leg by beating Girona FC 1-4 in the return fixture in Montilivi. A great first half, which included three goals for Ranko Popović’s players, saw the Aragoneses completely change the outlook of the tie.

The game got off to an even start, although Zaragoza were the more hasty in attack while Girona looked to protect their strong lead. Nonetheless, while Álex Granell carved out the first clear-cut chance, it was William José who opened the scoring from the penalty spot. The red and whites tried to react, however, the visitors were dead set on turning the tie around. Richy cleared off the line, but minutes later, William José made it 0-2 with a header from a free-kick on the right. On the verge of half-time, the Aragoneses levelled the tie thanks to Leandro Cabrera and set up a thrilling second-half.

After the break, the match followed a similar pattern. Zaragoza continued to be the quicker to attack and Pedro Sánchez had the first big chance. The man charged with putting Zaragoza ahead in the tie was José Manuel Fernández as he took advantage of a good cross from Diego Rico. That spurred on Girona who introduced Fran Sandaza in the search to make the next round. Aday Benítez reduced the deficit and then Pere Pons y Álex Granell could have put the red and whites into the playoff final. In the end, a 4-1 win for Zaragoza allows them to keep dreaming of the Liga BBVA.