Malaga defeat Almeria in play-off to win La Liga promotion

Malaga sealed their return to Spain’s top flight after eight years with a 2-1 second division play-off final second leg victory at Almeria on Saturday.

Juan Francisco Funes’s side edged a tight Andalucian derby after the goalless first leg last weekend to clinch promotion.

Chupe and David Larrubia’s goals were enough to fire Malaga back to La Liga, with Leo Baptistao pulling one back for Almeria, who battled until the end.

The hosts had Brazilian Thalys sent off in stoppage time for fighting and Malaga also finished with 10 men when Aaron Ochoa was shown a second yellow card.

Malaga, who played in the Champions League as recently as 2013, were relegated from La Liga in 2018 and then again to the third tier in 2023.

Kick-off was pushed back by half-an-hour after home fans stoned Malaga’s team bus as it approached the stadium.

The first match was a nervy affair and, once the return began, it followed a similar pattern, with neither team wanting to blink first.

Malaga forward Chupe spurned the best chance of the first half, but he made amends for it in the second as he broke the deadlock in the 65th minute.

The Spanish striker slid the ball home for his 25th goal of the season after Almeria gave it away as they tried to build from the back.

Larrubia doubled Malaga’s advantage six minutes later, but Leo Baptistao pulled one back for the hosts to set up a frantic finale.

Tensions spilled over, leading to Thalys and Ochoa’s dismissals, but in the end, Malaga joined La Liga 2 winners Racing Santander and second-placed Deportivo La Coruna back in the big time.