The Mini Submarine draw against UD Las Palmas with an unforgettable goal by Mbacke (1-1)
Villarreal B secured their long-awaited survival in the Second Division thanks to a draw against UD Las Palmas with two games to spare. An unforgettable goal from Mbacke in the 82nd minute earned the Yellows the point they needed to achieve their objective. Earlier Sandro had scored for the home side.
The start of the match was not easy for the Yellows. Pejiño crashed two rockets against the woodwork of the goal defended by Iker Álvarez in the first few chances of the game, encouraging the fans in the stands. The atmosphere at the Estadio de Gran Canaria was spectacular due to the home side’s high stakes in this game, but Miguel Álvarez’s men were able to withstand the early barrage.
However, just when the Yellows were at their best, and could even have taken the lead had it not been for Fer Niño’s goal being ruled out for offside, Sandro scored for Las Palmas with a shot that Iker was unable to keep out. The B team had their moment at the end of the first half with a header from Migue Leal that crashed against the woodwork, a good shot from Ontiveros that the home keeper caught and Tasende’s one-on-one.
After the restart, the away side had the first chance with a shot from Carlo from the edge of the area that went wide. The tempo of the game began to stabilise and neither team was able to get forward with any clarity, although the Submarine were getting close to the home side’s penalty area.
As the minutes ticked by, Villarreal B needed a goal to secure survival. It came in the 82nd minute and it came with suspense. Mbacke headed into the net and the referee, in the first instance, disallowed the goal for a non-existent offside. The VAR corrected his decision and euphoria broke out in the Mini Submarine with the score at 1-1.
The final moments were heart-stopping. Las Palmas pressed, but the scoreboard would not budge. Villarreal B will remain in LaLiga Smartbank!
Lineups:
UD Las Palmas: Á. Vallés; Lemos S., Álex Suárez, Coco, Cardona; Pejiño (min. 69, Clemente), Liodice, Kirian (min. 85, Andone), Jonathan Viera (min. 59, Fabio), A. Moleiro (min. 69, Marvin); Sandro (min. 59, Marc).
Villarreal B: Iker Álvarez; M.A. Leal, Dela, Mbacke, Tasende; S. Carreira (min. 84, Carlos Romero), Del Moral, Carlo, Ontiveros (min. 84, Pacheco); A. Millán (min. 94, Ojeda), Fer Niño (min. 68, Forés).
Goals: 1-0. Min. 27: Sandro. 1-1. Min. 82: Mbacke.
Referee: Quintero González. Booked: Liodice, Fabio (UD Las Palmas); Mbacke (Villarreal B).
Matchday information: Game between UD Las Palmas and Villarreal B, corresponding to Gameweek 40 of the 2022/23 LaLiga SmartBank season, at the Estadio de Gran Canaria.
