Las Palmas picked up a point in Santander in match that seemed a lost cause for long periods. A left-foot strike by Benito (min. 90) avoided what would have been a disaster at the bottom club. Álex Suárez was back in favour with Pepe Mel and returned to the team at right back. Czech striker Thomas Pekhart also started up front in place of the absent Sergio Araujo. The club’s latest signing, Aridai, was also making his debut in the starting line-up. UD Las Palmas approached the game without considering the gulf between the two sides in the league. Racing Club de Santander were at rock bottom which made them a more dangerous side.
There was no attacking action to speak of during the first half. The yellows made a few inroads down each wing, while goalkeeper Álvaro Valles was forced to make a great save following a good effort by Papu. Racing Santander looked uneasy and made many errors. Mel’s side, meanwhile, lacked a little ambition in order to make the most of the spaces behind the shaky Santander backline. Half-time came with a 0-0 scoreline in what was a poor match.
The second half started badly for the yellows, as Moi Delgado put the home side ahead in the 53rd minute. A loose ball in the area dropped to Delgado to fire home the first goal on a chilly afternoon. The goal forced Pepe Mel into making quick changes on the bench. In quick succession, he introduced Srnic, Rubén Castro, who was back after a three-month layoff, and Kirian. Las Palmas took the game by the scruff of the neck against the home side who sat back to defend their 1-0 lead.
Álvaro Valles prevented a second Santander goal with a brave stop at the feet of Álvaro Cejudo. The Las Palmas goalkeeper was quick to react to a one on one situation to avert the danger. In the 80th minute, a header by Rubén Castro was saved by Luca. Las Palmas were dominating possession, but couldn’t find the net, that is until the 90th minute when a raking drive by Benito found the top corner and brought Las Palmas back on level terms, meaning they would leave El Sardinero stadium with a hard-earned point (1-1).
