The dream slips away on a cruel night (1-2)

The dream of promotion slipped away on a cruel night for Atlético Baleares. The Estadio Balear produced a spectacular atmosphere long before kick-off, with devoted supporters who believed until the very last second and carried the team forward throughout the match.

ATB made two changes from the first leg, with Miguelito and Morillo coming into the starting eleven in place of Lache and Serrano. The hosts started with confidence and were rewarded early on. In the 13th minute, Rubén delivered a dangerous free-kick into the box, the ball fell loose after a series of deflections, and Tovar was on hand to fire it into the back of the net. The striker from Sóller made no mistake and sparked scenes of celebration at Son Malferit.

Tovar himself had another excellent chance shortly afterwards to extend the lead, but the opposition defence managed to block his effort just as the crowd was already celebrating. Moha was shown a yellow card in an intense and highly charged first half, in which Atlético Baleares deserved to go into the break with a bigger advantage. The clearest chance came in the 44th minute, when Bover came within inches of scoring a second goal in a move that brought the entire stadium to its feet.

After the restart, the team continued to push forward with determination. Bover nearly caught the goalkeeper out with an almost direct corner, forcing a superb save. Moha also had a golden opportunity to make it 2-0, but the Real Jaén goalkeeper once again denied the Balearic side.

With the tie level, the match went into extra time. And that was when football showed its cruellest side. In the 99th minute, Real Jaén found the goal that silenced the Estadio Balear and dealt a heavy blow to the home side. The decisive moment arrived just before the interval in extra time, in the 105th minute, when the Andalusian outfit took advantage of a corner to make it 1-2 and all but seal qualification.

Atlético Baleares kept fighting until the very end, driven on by pride and by supporters who never stopped believing. But this time, it was not to be.

A sad and painful night for the club. The dream of promotion has slipped away. We will fall and rise again as many times as necessary. Because this badge, these supporters and this feeling deserve to keep dreaming.

Luis Blanco’s press conference:

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