Real Valladolid fall short against 10-man Las Palmas in relegation skirmish

Real Valladolid 1-1 Las Palmas

Real Valladolid came into their crucial relegation battle with Las Palmas on Friday night in full crisis mode, having been thumped 7-1 by Athletic Club last weekend, with fans demanding their money back from their San Mames excursion. Meanwhile the Canary Islanders are also in desperate need of points, with just a single draw to show from their eight games in 2025.

The visitors were still fancied by many for the match though, having shown more signs of life under Diego Martinez, and things started well for the islanders. Following early opportunities, just after the 20th minute, the ball was laid into the path of Sandro Ramirez for him to strike from the edge of the box. Connecting well, Javi Sanchez’s effort to block it zipped the ball into the top corner.

However the tide turned almost immediately, as just eight minutes later, Scott McKenna brought down a Valladolid attacker as the last man, and was shown a straight red card. La Pucela, urged on by chippy Nuevo Jose Zorrilla, began causing issues, and only a narrow offside prevented Anuar Tuhami from equalising in stoppage time.

The second half became a one-sided affair though, and Valladolid were peppering Jasper Cillessen’s goal with shots. The breakthrough came just past the hour-mark, with a ball to the back post knocked down for Juanmi Latasa to fire into the net from close range. Desperate to appease their home fans, Valladolid laid siege to the Las Palmas box for the final 20 minutes.

💜 ¡Latasa empata el encuentro para el @realvalladolid!#RealValladolidLasPalmas | #LALIGAEASPORTS | #LALIGAHighlights pic.twitter.com/e9Qh3Po7nO

— LALIGA (@LaLiga) February 28, 2025

Star winger Raul Moro, back in the team for the first time since his lengthy injury lay-off, forced one of several brililant interventions from Cillessen though, who appeared equal to everything that was thrown at him. Mario Martin, Latasa, Adam Aznou and Ivan Sanchez all had efforts on goal, but couldn’t beat the eventual man of the match.

The point ends Las Palmas’ run of defeats, and leaves them a point clear of the relegation zone, but will feel little better about their position, even if the draw was well-earned by the final whistle. For interim coach Alvaro Rubio and Valladolid, they did react to their performance last week, but still eight points removed from safety themselves, this will feel like one of the last opportunities they can miss. They remain bottom of La Liga on 16 points.