Key Points

In a thrilling final day of La Liga, Espanyol secured their top-flight status with a dramatic late win against Las Palmas. Leganes suffered heartbreak, dropping to the second division despite winning their match. Real Madrid's farewell to Carlo Ancelotti and Luka Modric was marked by Kylian Mbappe's two goals in a 2-0 victory. Celta Vigo also clinched a spot in the Europa League with a late win against Getafe.

Key Points: Espanyol Survives Relegation Mbappe Shines in Madrid Farewell

  • Espanyol secures crucial late victory to avoid relegation
  • Leganes falls despite winning final match
  • Mbappe scores twice in Ancelotti's final game
  • Celta Vigo qualifies for Europa League
2 min read

Espanyol stays up, Leganes down in La Liga

Espanyol secures La Liga survival with late goals while Leganes drops to Segunda, Real Madrid honors Ancelotti and Modric

"A dramatic finish that decides the fate of clubs - Football Commentary"

Rome, May 24

Espanyol will remain in La Liga for another season while Leganes suffers the heartbreak of relegation to the Spanish second division after a tense round of matches on Saturday.

Leganes goes down with 40 points from 38 games despite a 3-0 win at home to Valladolid on a day when the club was temporarily out of the bottom three at halftime when Javi Hernandez, Yan Diomande and Juan Cruz had put the team 3-0 ahead.

Espanyol was drawing 0-0 at home to Las Palmas, but the future of the Barcelona based outfit was in its own hands, with a win meaning the result in Leganes was irrelevant, reports Xinhua.

Javi Puado scored the opening goal for Espanyol from the penalty spot with 25 minutes left to play, and Pere Milla sealed Espanyol's survival and Leganes' relegation along with Valladolid and Las Palmas, with a second goal eight minutes from time.

Celta Vigo went into its game away to Getafe knowing a win would assure seventh place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League, and despite falling behind to Borja Mayoral's opening goal, Borja Iglesias leveled before halftime, with veteran striker Iago Aspas scoring the goal that sent the club back to Europe 10 minutes from time.

Celta's win meant neither Rayo Vallecano nor Osasuna could qualify for the Europa League, with Rayo's 0-0 draw booking it a place in the playoff for the Conference League, while Osasuna drew 1-1 away to Alaves and misses out on head-to-head goal difference.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Real Madrid won 2-0 at home to Real Sociedad in Carlo Ancelotti's last game as coach and Luka Modric's last appearance at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Ancelotti and Modric received a warm send-off from the fans in the Bernabeu, while Mbappe moved closer to the Golden Boot award with his two goals in a game that had nothing at stake.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

Here are 5 authentic Indian perspective comments on the La Liga relegation/promotion news:
R
Rahul K.
Tough luck for Leganes! They fought hard but football can be cruel sometimes. Espanyol showed great character under pressure. As an Indian football fan, I wish our ISL had such dramatic last-day battles! 🇮🇳⚽
P
Priya M.
Modric's farewell at Bernabeu got me emotional! What a legend 👑 Indian midfielders should learn from his longevity. Also happy for Celta Vigo - Aspas is pure class. Hope someday an Indian club plays in Europa League!
A
Arjun S.
The relegation battle was more exciting than title race this season! Shows why La Liga is best after Premier League. But seriously, why does Mbappe keep scoring when it doesn't matter? Save some for important matches! 😅
S
Sanjana P.
Heartbreaking for Leganes after that 3-0 win! Reminds me of how East Bengal/Mohun Bagan fans feel during derbies. Football is same everywhere - full of emotions. Hope they bounce back soon!
V
Vikram D.
As a neutral, I feel bad for Osasuna missing Europe by goal difference. But Celta deserves it for playing attractive football. Btw when will we see Indian players in La Liga? Chhetri should get one last European stint!

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