Following the direct promotion of Atlético Paso, the race for a place in the 2nd Federation from the Canarian Tercera RFEF now centers on a thrilling Gran Canarian derby between San Fernando and UD Tamaraceite. Both teams overcame their respective playoffs against San Mateo and Mensajero to reach this decisive phase.
The team from San Bartolomé de Tirajana, managed by Juan Carlos Socorro, struggled to maintain their first-leg advantage against San Mateo. Although Yoni Oujo's team took the lead in the 11th minute with a goal from Ale González, San Fernando managed to come back and secure their passage with a dramatic goal from Jeremy Rodríguez in the 99th minute (1-2).
“"It would have been fair for San Mateo to advance with a corner and a shot on goal, as we were superior"
“"We did everything in our hands to at least force extra time. It's time to be happy for what San Mateo has done"
Meanwhile, Tamaraceite also leveraged their 2-0 first-leg lead against Mensajero. Despite the home team managing to level the tie with a goal from Vianney Nieto in the 66th minute, the Gran Canarian team managed to hold on to their result until the end (1-0).
The tie between Tamaraceite and San Fernando will kick off this Saturday at 12:00 PM at the Juan Guedes stadium, with the return leg scheduled for the following weekend at the Eleuterio Valerón. It is worth noting that San Fernando is the only team that has managed to defeat Tamaraceite at their home ground, El Tablero.
San Fernando holds the advantage that, in case of a draw in a hypothetical extra time, they would advance to the next round as there is no penalty shootout. The winner of this series will face the winner of the Castilla y León playoff, which will pit CD Guijuelo against Palencia CF.
