Another soulless and uninspiring home game for Diego Martínez's men leaves the team on the brink of relegation, a situation that could worsen this Saturday if Alavés wins at San Mamés.
UD Las Palmas practically sealed their place in the 26/27 Hypermotion League after losing to Rayo Vallecano (0-1) at the Estadio de Gran Canaria. Las Palmas came onto the field with the usual lack of ideas and character from Diego Martínez and, as usual, lost, consummating their nineteenth defeat of the season after 35 matches played.
In the first half, Rayo displayed greater dominance, boasting close to 70% possession and several dangerous attacks, especially down the right flank, where Ratiu and Álvaro García caused discomfort for the Yellows' defense. Las Palmas, without Fábio Silva (who appears to have permanently left the field so as not to jeopardize a possible sale by Wolverhampton next season), failed to find the necessary spark in attack; with Januzaj, who has only shown occasional flashes of quality since his arrival, and McBurnie, whose lack of accuracy seems to have made his Getafe goal a mere incident, the Yellows were fading away in the opponent's box.
Moleiro, who took home the MVP award and had to be consoled at the end after admitting that Unión Deportiva Las Palmas is virtually a second-class team, was one of the only Yellows players capable of creating play and causing some unrest among the red-and-white players.
The Vallecanos, led by Isi Palazón and Álvaro García, put the Yellows under pressure at the start of the second half. Despite Moleiro's efforts, the lack of accuracy in their shots, especially from McBurnie, was evident. The closest move to equalizing was a header from the British player after a great cross from Moleiro, but, as is now customary with the striker's attempts, the ball went wide.
Finally, in the 66th minute, Álvaro García left Álex Suárez dancing and searching for the ball after a cut in the area and scored the only goal of the match after beating Horkas and brushing the crossbar. A lethal blow for the fans who once again did their part to lift the team and who saw Rayo continue to dream of Europe while Diego Martínez's team seemed to assume a destiny that now seems inevitable.
The blow could be worse, as Deportivo Alavés wins at San Mamés, further edging away the (already almost impossible) survival of the Yellows. A scenario that seems more than likely, as the Blue and Whites arrive looking to secure their survival, while Athletic Bilbao arrives plagued by injuries and with their spirits down after conceding a 4-1 defeat at Old Trafford (7-1 on aggregate), which confirmed their elimination from European competition.
