Almeria, Valladolid promoted to La Liga as Eibar slip up on final day

Madrid, May 30 (IANS) Valladolid and Almeria were promoted to La Liga on a dramatic last day of the Spanish second division's regular season.

The day kicked off with Eibar leading the division, and knowing that a win away to already-relegated Alcorcon would assure their return to the top flight just a year after they went down.

However, a 92nd-minute goal by Alcorcon striker Giovani Zarfino condemned them to a heartbreaking defeat on Sunday night just minutes before the end of a game in which Eibar were nowhere near their best.

The result means that Almeria finish top of the table, despite only drawing 2-2 away to Leganes as goals from Rodrigo Ely and Umar Sadiq saw them twice come back from behind, Xinhua reports.

Valladolid also return to La Liga thanks to a 3-0 win at home to Huesca. Goals from Shom Weismann, Gonzalo Plata and Alvaro Aguado gave Valladolid, who kicked off the day in third place, an easy win against a rival with nothing to play for.

Eibar will have a second chance at winning promotion, but will have to compete in the play-offs against Las Palmas, Tenerife and Girona, who finished fourth, fifth, and sixth in the table following the last round of matches.