Granada were relegated from La Liga on Sunday after Jorge Molina’s missed penalty cost them the win they needed and allowed a victorious Cadiz to survive.
Cadiz began the day a point behind both Granada and Mallorca as the three clubs scrapped to avoid the final relegation spot, with Alaves and Levante already down.
Anthony Lozano proved the hero, his finish securing a 1-0 victory away at Alaves for Cadiz, while Granada were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Espanyol.
Molina had the best chance to win it for Granada but sent his penalty agonisingly wide of the post in the 72nd minute, before Cadiz took the lead at Mendizorrotza in the 76th.
By then, Mallorca were already one up away at Osasuna after Angel Rodriguez had put them in front shortly after half-time. Clement Grenier added another as Mallorca won 2-0 away at El Sadar to avoid the drop.
After two years away, Granada returned to Spain’s top flight in 2019 and enjoyed a superb first season, finishing seventh and qualifying for the Europa League.
They backed that up by finishing ninth the following year and reached the Europa League quarter-finals, when they were beaten by Manchester United.
But after three successful years in charge, Granada’s talented coach Diego Martinez left last summer and the team have struggled to recover, despite a recent resurgence under Aitor Karanka, who replaced Ruben Torrecilla in April.
Mallorca, meanwhile, stay up at the first time of asking after being promoted last season while Cadiz’s win means they will play a third consecutive campaign in the top tier.
Mallorca enjoyed the most comfortable evening as Angel Rodriguez finished off a slick move on the edge of the box to give them the lead against Osasuna, before Grenier tapped in a rebound late on after Vedat Muriqi’s header was palmed away.
In between, Granada appeared to have the opening they needed when an Espanyol handball gave the 40-year-old Molina the chance to score from the spot. Diego Lopez guessed the right way but was not required to save, as the shot flashed wide of the post.
Granada’s misery was compounded minutes later as Cadiz pulled ahead against Alaves as Lozano, who had come on only four minutes earlier, converted at the near post to keep Cadiz safe and send Granada down.
AFP
