Month: September 2024

First Division – Primera Division. 20 teams in the league, the last 2 directly relegated, the 16th & 17th going to promotion/relegation play-offs against the 3rd &4th in Segunda Division. The season was entirely dominated by Real Madrid.
Rayo Vallecano (Madrid) quite predictably finished last with 19 points and was relegated.
Celta (Vigo) was also relegated – 19th with 22 points.
Tenerife finished 18th with 26 points and went to promotion/relegation play-offs. Luckily, they prevailed over Deprotivo (La Coruna) after 0-0 at home and 1-0 crucial away victory and kept their place in the top league.
CD Malaga was 17th with 28 points and going to promotion/relegation play-offs. No luck there – they met the 5th in Segunda Division, Espanol (Barcelona), and lost dramatically the shoot-out 5-6, after the games ended 0-1 and 1-0. Malaga was relegated.
Real Valladolid survived – 16th with 30 points.
Cadiz – 15th with 30 points.
Castellon – 14th with 32 points. Top row from left: Alejandro, Manchado, Romo, Bonhoff, Martínez Puig, Alfredo, Emilio, José, Fernández. Middle row: Antonio, Ugbade, Víctor, Luiche, Domingo Tárrega, Heredia, Octavio, Moisés, Ibeas, Felices. Front row: Pelletti, Raúl, Cabrera, Escobar, Javi, Ximet, Ayúcar, Trigos, Alcañiz.
Sporting (Gijon) – 13th with 34 points.
Weak season for Athletic (Bilbao) – 12th with 37 points.

Real Oviedo – 11th with 39 points.
Mallorca – 10th with 39 points.
Real Zaragoza – 9th with 40 points. Chilavert was with the club as well, but the Paraguayan goalkeeper was neither the famous star yet, nor he impressed – Cedrun was the principle first choice. There was another misfortune – the newly bought Bulgarian star striker and great scorer Nasko Sirakov got an injury so heavy, he practically did not play for the club, leading to something like demanding compensation from his former club and getting another player, who also failed to satisfy.
Osasuna (Pamplona) – 8th with 40 points.
Logrones – 7th with 41 points.

Sevilla – 6th with 43 points and homesick Rinat Dassaev, unable to get in terms with professional life in the West.
Real Sociedad – 5th with 44 points.
Atletico (Madrid) – 4th with 50 points.
Barcelona – 3rd with 51 points.

Valencia – looked like comeback: 2nd with 53 points. Strong, but not strong enough to challenge the dominant leader. In passing, the club benefited by the changes in Eastern Europe – they acquired the young Bulgarian scorer Lyuboslav Penev, something impossible only a year ago, because of age restrictions in his home country. Eastern European was hot market and came in flocks to Western clubs, but sometimes the relatively cheap to buy players were not a great enforcement: Penev’s countryman Nasko Sirakov suffered heavy injury and Real Zaragoza was practically unable to use him, Rinat Dassaev had great difficulties adjusting to new life and was not great in Sevilla – Valencia, however, was lucky with Penev.
Real Madrid had no rival this season – they finished 9 points ahead of Valencia. They scored over 100 goals, the team was flying under the guidance of John Toshack. 26 wins, 10 ties, only 2 lost games, 107-38, and 62 points. A nice 25th title. There was no problem with Bernd Schuster, who was Barcelona’s star for years before joining Real. Hugo Sanchez was at his best, a genuine scoring machine, complimented by Butragueno. World Cup champion with Argentina Ruggeri was not disappointment either, commanding strong defensive line with rapidly ascending to stardom Fernando Hierro. Talented Martin Vazquez played along with Schuster in midfield – the squad was well balanced, well coached, ambitious, playing entertaining attacking football and scoring tons of goals, thus delighting the demanding fans. Perhaps goalkeeping was not equal to the rest of team, but it was no major problem – Real not only had very strong defensive line, but lethal strikers always capable to outscore any opposition, at least in Spain. Dominant season, one more title, high expectations for the future… the usual kings of Spain.

Second Division – Segunda Division. Last 4 teams – relegated, the top 2 – directly promoted, and the next 2 teams (if legible for promotion) going to promotion/relegation play-off against the 16^th and the 17^th in the First Division. 20 teams played in the league.

Atletico Madrileno – Atletico Madird B – last with 19 points and relegated.

Recreativo (Huelva) – 19^th with 29 points and relegated.

Castilla CF – Real Madrid B – 18^th with 31 points and relegated.

Racing (Santander) – 17^th with 33 points and relegated.

SD Eibar – 16^th with 34 points.

Levante UD – 15^th with 36 points.

Elche CF – 14^th with 36 points.

UD Salamanca – 13^th with 36 points.

UE Figueras – 12^th with 36 points.

Sestao – 11^th with 36 points.

Xerez CD – 10^th with 38 points.

Real Murcia – 9^th with 38 points.

Palamos CF – 8^th with 40 points.

CE Sabadell FC – 7^th with 40 points.

UD Las Palmas – 6^th with 40 points.

RCD Espanol (Barcelona) – 5^th with 42 points. Qualified to promotion/relegation playoffs, thanks to ineligibility of Athletic Bilbao’s B team for promotion. There they faced Malaga, won the first leg at home 1-0, lost the second away 0-1, but managed to prevail in the penalty shoot-out 6-5 and thus return to top flight.

Deportivo (La Coruna) – 4^th with 44 points and qualified to promotion/relegation play-offs. No luck there – Deportivo managed highly optimistic 0-0 draw away in the first leg, but lost at home 0-1 to Tenerife and had to stay in Second Division.

Bilbao Athletic – Athletic Bilbao B – ended 3^rd with 45 points, but as a second team of First Division club they were ineligible for promotion, which benefited greatly Espanol.

Real Betis finished 2^nd with 47 points. They missed first place by little, but it was not very important – Real Betis was promoted and that mattered most: return to First Division was the achieved aim.

Real Burgos won the championship with 50 points from 18 wins, 14 ties, 6 losses and 53-24 scoring record. Not really dominating the league, but still the best teams.

One more photo of the Second Division champions, happy to return to First Division.

So, the newly promoted were old top-league members all: Real Burgos, Real Betis, and Espanol.

Third Division – Segunda Division B – Groups 3 & 4.

Group 3.

At the bottom, Salud – 20^th with 11 points, Maspalomas – 19^th with 23 points,

CD Utrera – 18^th with 30 points, Marbella – 17^th with 31 points, and

Real Jaen – 16^th with 31 points were relegated. This was the zone with most relegated teams, there was one more: Linares, which finished 7^th with 44 points, but due to financial troubles was relegated as well.

CD Estepona survived – 15^th with 31 points – thanks to better head-to-head record against the other 2 teams with 31 points.

Up the table:

Real Balompedica Linense – 14^th with 32 points.

Cordoba – 12^th with 38 points.

Tomelloso – 11^th with 38 points.

Atletico Sanluqueno – 9^th with 38 points.

Merida – 8^th with 40 points.

Granada took 5^th place with 46 points.

There was no fight at the top: Sevilla Atletico – Sevilla B tean – ended 3^rd with 49 points. Melilla – 2^nd with 55 points.

And Albacete was comfortable champion and promoted with 60 points from 27 wins, 6 ties, 5 losses, 88-29.

Group 4.

Atletico Baleares was last with 19points.

CD Ibiza – 19^th with 29 points.

Villareal – 18^th with 30 points and Gimnastic – 17^th with 31 points completed the group of relegated bottom teams.

Up the table:

Torrevieja – 15^th with 35 points.

Girona FC – 12^th with 37 points.

Cartagena FC – 11^th with 37 points.

UD Alzira – 7^th with 41 points.

Gandia came close to winning the season, but ended 3^rd with 49 points. Above them 2 teams finished with 51 points each and head-to-head goal-difference decided the final positions:

Barcelona Athletic – Barcelona B team – took 2^nd place and missed promotion.

Orihuela Deportiva prevailed over Barcelona Athletic by single goal: they lost one match 1-2, but one the second 2-0 and that gave them the final victory. Apart from that, they accumulated during the season 21 wins, 9 ties, and lost 8 games. Goal-difference: 55-32 and 51 points. Their rivals won one more match, but also lost one more game. However, Barcelona Athletic had much better goal-difference than Orihuela – 68-36. Perhaps for Barcelona was not a bid deal that their B team missed promotion to Second Division, but for Orihuela is was: winning even a Third Division championship was important moment, promotion to Second Division – nearly fantastic achievement.

Spain – ranking 4^th at the moment. Third level – Segunda Division B: 80 teams played in it, divided into 4 groups. 23 teams were newcomers: 4 relegated from Segunda Division and 19 promoted from Forth Level, Tercera Division. Group winners were promoted to Segunda Division and the bottom 4 teams were relegated (except in Group 3, where 6 teams went down – the last 5 plus Linares, relegated due to financial problems).

Group 1:

Arosa was last with 20 points, Lalin – 19^th with 31 points, Moscardo – 18^th with 32 points, and

Racing – 17^th with 32 points were relegated.

Up the table:

CD Endesa As Pontes – 14^th with 34 points.

Pontevedra – 10^th with 36 points.

Toledo – 9^th with 37 points.

Juventud Cambados – 4^th with 45 points.

Third was Leganes with 48 points, 2^nd – Getafe with 51 points, and

Real Aviles Industrial was champion with 55 points: 21 wins, 13 ties, 4 losses, 46-24. They were promoted to Second Division.

Group 2:

U.D. Barbastro – last with 22 points. Calahorra was 19^th with 25 points, Fraga – 18^th with 30 points, and Laredo – 18^th with 33 points. These were the relegated.

Up the table:

Basconia – 15^th with 33 points.

Mirandes – 14^th with 35 points.

Numancia – 13^th with 35 points.

Barakaldo – 10^th with 35 points.

Deportivo Aragon – the B team of Real Zaragoza – 8^th with 43 points.

Mollerussa finished 3^rd with 49 points, Osasuna Promesas – the B team of Osasuna (Pamplona) – ended 2^nd with 50 points, and

U. E. Lleida won the group with 55 points: 23 wins, 9 ties, 6 losses, 86-31. They were promoted to Second Division.