Eibar secure promotion

Eibar will hope to play in Spain’s top flight for the first time next season after securing promotion from the Segunda Division on Sunday.

The Basque side, who have the smallest ground in the Spanish second tier and a miniscule budget compared to many of their rivals, defeated Alaves 1-0 to move top of the table.

And they were able to celebrate a guaranteed top-two finish within an hour of their match finishing as Las Palmas threw away a two-goal lead against Recreativo Huelva and lost 3-2.

However, Eibar could yet see their dreams dashed, as they must raise extra “share capital” of €1.7million by August in order to comply with recently introduced financial regulations.

Should the club fail to generate sufficient funds, Eibar face dropping down a division to Segunda B rather than having the chance to rub shoulders with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Real midfielder Xabi Alonso, who enjoyed a loan spell at Eibar more than a decade ago, is among those to have spoken out in support of debt-free Eibar, insisting they deserve to be rewarded for their on-pitch achievements.

Meanwhile, Deportivo La Coruna, who led the table heading into Sunday’s fixtures, must wait to confirm a return to La Liga after they slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Numancia.

With two games still to play, Deportivo are six points clear of the play-off places but have now failed to win in five matches.