ATB get the job done at home and reach the final (1-1)

Atlético Baleares booked their place in the playoff final after drawing 1-1 against Coruxo FC at a packed Estadi Balear, where 2,285 fans roared the team on until the very end. The Balearic side also made the most of the advantage earned in the first leg, where they secured a 0-3 win, to seal the tie and move on to the playoff final.

The opening stages were marked by mutual respect between the two teams, although ATB gradually grew into the game. A driving run from Iván López created the first dangerous move, while Moha and Lache started causing problems down the right flank.

The first big chance came in the 22nd minute when Iván’s header flew just wide of the post. Shortly after, a superb one-two between Jofre and Tovar ended with the Sóller-born forward striking narrowly past the woodwork. The hosts kept pushing and, in the 33rd minute, Jofre hit the post in the clearest chance of the first half. Before the break, Tovar also had a one-on-one opportunity that he could not convert.

After halftime came the visitors’ breakthrough. In the 54th minute, Coruxo took advantage of a mistake in midfield to open the scoring. However, the match quickly turned around. In the 58th minute, the Galician side were reduced to ten men after their number 4 received a second yellow card for bringing down Tovar as he raced through on goal.

The blue-and-whites reacted from the bench with the introductions of Sheriff and Miguelito, while Axel and Manu Morillo later added fresh legs to the team. Serrano tried his luck from distance and the hosts continued to pile pressure on the Galician goal.

The persistence finally paid off in the 85th minute. Axel picked out Miguelito inside the box and the forward made no mistake to score the final 1-1.

With the draw, the club confirms its place in the playoff final and now awaits Monday’s draw on the 18th to discover their next opponent.

Post-match comments from Luis Blanco: