Leganes knew only a straightforward victory could give them the chance to retain their La Liga status, but champions Real Madrid held on for a 2-2 draw at the Estadio Butarque to send the Cucumber Growers back to the lower division.
The Nigerian duo of Chidozie Awaziem and Kenneth Omeruo sat on the bench for the entire duration of Leganes’ most crucial game of the season. Yet, another poor defensive display cost Javier Aguirre’s men dearly.
The two sides entered the break on level terms with Gil’s late strike levelling matters after a Sergio Ramos header from an Isco free-kick nine minutes in had handed the champions the lead.
Zinedine Zidane’s men claimed their 34th La Liga crown at home to Villarreal days ago, but they were in no mood for handing out gifts. Moments after the interval, it was 2-1 to the visitors, Asensio this time benefiting from another excellent Isco delivery.
The home side threw everything they had at Real Madrid afterwards, and it did yield rewards as Roger Assale levelled proceedings with 12 minutes of play left, setting up a frantic finish to the encounter.
There were to be no further goals from either side, though, as Leganes join Mallorca and Espanyol in booking their flight to the Spanish second-tier.
Awaziem, on loan from Porto, will most likely return to Portugal in the coming days.
It, however, remains unclear whether Omeruo, who joined from Chelsea permanently last summer, will decide to stay and play Liga 2 football at Leganes next campaign, with Levante interested in securing his services.
