Nàstic 2-2 Málaga: the incredible 2024 promotion final

Málaga’s promotion at Nàstic de Tarragona on 22 June 2024 was not simply dramatic. It compressed an entire season’s tension into extra time and produced one of the most improbable endings in Spanish play-off history.

Málaga entered the second leg with the tie level after a 2-1 home win had been matched by Nàstic over the regulation 90 minutes in Tarragona. The promotion would be decided in extra time.

Málaga fall 2-0 behind on the night

Nàstic scored again in extra time, moving 2-0 ahead in the match and 3-2 ahead on aggregate. Málaga were also reduced to ten men.

At that stage, the situation looked almost finished. Málaga needed two goals because a draw on aggregate would favour the higher-ranked side under the play-off rules.

Dioni gives Málaga hope

In the 108th minute, Dioni scored to reduce the deficit. The goal changed the emotional shape of the tie. Málaga still needed another, but the possibility returned.

The final minutes became frantic. Nàstic attempted to protect the lead while Málaga sent players forward and kept the ball alive through set pieces and second phases.

Antoñito Cordero in the 122nd minute

The equaliser arrived deep into added time at the end of extra time. A chaotic goalmouth sequence ended with academy player Antoñito Cordero scoring in the 122nd minute.

The goal made it 2-2 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate. Under the rules, Málaga’s league position meant the draw was enough to win promotion.

Why the moment meant so much

Málaga had fallen from La Liga and European football into the third tier amid years of institutional and financial turmoil. Promotion did not solve every problem, but it stopped the descent and restored belief that the club could begin climbing again.

The identity of the scorer added to the meaning. A young academy player delivered the decisive moment for a club whose supporters had continued filling La Rosaleda outside the top divisions.

A perfect example of Puro Malaguismo

The match contained everything associated with Puro Malaguismo:

• apparent disaster;
• a red card;
• a late revival;
• an academy hero;
• chaos in the penalty area;
• supporters travelling in huge numbers;
• an ending that seemed impossible moments earlier.

It instantly joined the club’s defining matches, not because of the division involved but because of the emotional release after years of decline.

What happened next?

Málaga returned to professional second-tier football for 2024/25. The promotion also helped drive extraordinary season-ticket demand, with the club later reaching a record 26,550 holders and receiving requests for more than 15,000 tickets through the waiting-list process.

Read more of Málaga’s greatest matches