Late late show from Las Palmas secures draw and vital point in La Liga relegation fight
LAS PALMAS, Spain (AP) — Two goals in the last five minutes gave Las Palmas a 2-2 home draw with Alaves and a valuable point in its fight against relegation from La Liga on Friday.
Alaves went ahead in the sixth minute when Toni Martínez beat the offside trap and thumped in a volley unmarked.
Substitute Jon Guridi made it 2-0 for the visitors after 62 minutes when he took a defense-splitting pass from Asier Villalibre and rounded the goalkeeper to side-foot home.
But an 89th-minute penalty from on-loan Wolves striker Fábio Silva and a crisp volley from Alberto Moleiro in added time rescued a draw for the home side.
It was Las Palmas' 10th league match without a win and, although it will cherish the point after spending so long chasing the game, its inability to beat another relegation-threatened club was a worry for coach Diego Martinez.
'We needed to win and we didn't, but we were down 2-0 in a very chaotic match," Martinez said. "Turning it around — not completely, but getting a 2-2 draw — shows that the team is alive, that it believes, and that it keeps pushing. This point is going to be very, very important for securing our survival.'
Las Palmas remains second from bottom, two points behind Leganes, Valencia and Alaves.
With Valladolid nine points adrift in last place, it's a fight to avoid one of the other two relegation spots.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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