Competition news
REBIRTH FOR GALICIA
26 Jun 2012
After a terrible season that left Galicia without a team at Primera División for the first time in 20 years, plus other frustrations, the region is now celebrating four promotions, something that’s happening for the first time in 20 years.
The season 2010/11 was definitely a terrible one for Galicia; RC Deportivo La Coruña suffered the relegation to Segunda División, leaving the region without a representative at Primera for the first time in two decades. Beyond that, RC Celta failed in the attempt to return to Primera after a terrible second round at Liga Adelante, while CD Lugo also missed the promotion despite ending the season as one of the four champions at Segunda División B.
Besides, the four Galician outfits that played the playoffs at Tercera División also missed the promotion: CCD Cerceda, Racing de Ferrol, CD Ourense and RC Villalbés. Actually, these four clubs even missed to reach the final round of the playoffs.
Some people believed that this was a sign of a crisis for Galician football, but the sorrow just lasted one year, because for the season 2011/12 four Galician clubs clinched a promotion, an unseen thing within the last two decades.
First to all Deportivo and RC Celta were the dominating forces at Liga Adelante; both Galician outfits grabbed the first two positions at Segunda and, for the first time in the history, they are going up together to Primera. Depor and Celta have already clinched a promotion at the same time, but it was with both clubs at Segunda B, this is the first time in which the two biggest clubs in Galicia are landing at the same time at the elite of Spanish football.
The third club that secured a promotion was CD Ourense; the club from O Couto ended at the top of the Tercera group, and later, during the playoffs, they secured the promotion to Segunda B with a comfortable 4-1 aggregate score against Basque club CD Laudio FSR, in this way Ourense returns to Segunda División B after three years at Tercera.
Ourense’s team celebrating the promotion after the second-leg against Laudio
And the fourth Galician club that clinched a promotion is CD Lugo; it was the most suffered case as the Rojiblanco outfit had to pass three rounds before reaching the promotion to Segunda División A. They ended third in their group and eliminated first SD Eibar (aggregate score 1-0).
Later they had to face two group winners, first CD Atlético Baleares (aggregate score 3-1) and in the final round they faced the powerful Cadiz CF. Lugo won the first-leg 3-1, then they lost 1-3 in the second and clinched the promotion in a dramatic penalty shootout. It this way Lugo is going to play at Segunda for the second time in its story.
Lugo’s players celebrating after the penalty shootout against CD Cádiz
Precisely, the last promotion of CD Lugo to Segunda marked the last time that four Galician clubs conquered a promotion in Spanish football. It was on the season 1991/92; Depor had just survived its first year at Primera, and was joined by RC Celta, while Racing de Ferrol and Celta B were clinching the promotion to Segunda B.
Not everything was good news for Galicia on the season that’s ending, because CD Montañeros suffered the relegation to Tercera and the A Coruña-based club has decided to stop competing, at least with a first team. The other Galician team that suffered the relegation to Tercera is RC Celta B, though they could end out buying a spot at Segunda B, same thing than Deportivo B.
Now Galicia is having five clubs among the top three leagues in Spain: Deportivo and RC Celta (both at Primera); CD Lugo (Segunda), CD Ourense and Coruxo FC (both at Segunda B). They could be joined by Fabril and Celta B if the club’s officials decide to buy a spot at Segunda B for them.