UD Las Palmas endured a tough defeat this Saturday at the Estadio de Gran Canaria (2-3) against Valencia. Diego Martínez’s team was always trailing on the scoreboard in a match they tried to salvage in the final stretch with a late onslaught that failed to produce the third goal that would have at least secured a draw.
Almost 25,000 fans attended the Matchday 34 fixture, supporting their team in a vibrant atmosphere that began two hours before kickoff. The result keeps Las Palmas in the relegation zone with just four games remaining in the La Liga season.
Once again, Diego Martínez was forced to make changes to his starting eleven, as in addition to the known absence of Portuguese forward Fabio Silva, center-back McKenna was also ruled out. The coach opted to reunite Álex Suárez with Mika Mármol in central defense, while Álex Muñoz covered the left-back position.
The first chances of the match came from the visitors, with a clear opportunity that Dinko Horka saved with sharp reflexes. This chance came in the 11th minute from a set-piece play, finished by Mir and met with a solid response from the Croatian keeper.
Las Palmas struggled to find their rhythm until the 21st minute, when Valencia opened the scoring (0-1) through a cross-field play that wasn’t stopped. Hugo Duro finished the move with a clean shot at the far post. The home defense failed to prevent the attack, and Valencia celebrated the goal confidently.
It was a blow to the home team’s spirits. Las Palmas responded more with heart than ideas, pushing to equalize before the break. They found some opportunities from set pieces, and eventually leveled the score just before halftime.
The 1-1 came from a penalty converted by Sandro Ramírez. His teammate Bajcetic had headed the ball toward goal following a corner, and Diego López’s arm blocked the path. The first half ended level, although the overall performance raised concerns. Still, the 24,942 fans cheered their team off the pitch in support for the second half.
The second half began with the same lineups. Rafa Mir tried a long-range shot that Horkas deflected to a corner with a good save. Amid a back-and-forth period, Valencia struck again with a counterattack, which Hugo Duro headed home for his second goal in the 57th minute.
Las Palmas took more risks with substitutions and their aggressive style late in the game. However, Valencia capitalized on another counterattack, as Diego López’s play ended in an own goal by Álex Suárez.
With 8 minutes remaining, Oli McBurnie brought the match back to life with a brilliant diving header to make it 2-3. Jaime Mata had a chance to equalize with a header as well, but it flew over Mamardashvili’s crossbar. Fuster and Mármol also had late opportunities, but the score didn’t change, and the match ended after nearly 100 minutes of play.