After a whole week of declarations, intentions and illusions, the long-awaited yellow triumph in the Canarian derby finally arrived after more than five years without achieving it in official competition, thus extending the unbeaten record of the 7 Palmas venue in this event for another year, and it has been twelve since Alfaro managed to take the three points to the neighboring island in 2008.
While everything seemed destined for zero to zero last night, given the equality on the pitch, finally the balance leaned towards the side of the group led by Pepe Mel thanks to a sung by the blue and white goal Ortolá that, as of yesterday, is part of one more page of the clashes between UD Las Palmas and CD Tenerife. Con that unfortunate action, the yellow ones remove a great thorn that has been hurting since 2014 in the derby, date to which it was necessary to go back to this Sunday to count the last victory in Gran Canaria with goal by Vicente Gómez, in the 89th minute, in the 2013/2014 season. One year, the one in which Lobera's pupils, later dismissed to the detriment of Josico, they would reach the final of the playoff with the unfortunate outcome of the famous “Cordobazo”.
Already the following season, commanded by Paco Herrera in the 2014/2015 season, that of promotion to the First Division, they could not overcome the blue and white either, losing in Tenerife 2-1, materialized by Araujo in own door and Cristo Martin, countering Momo's initial away goal. In the second round the result would be 1-1 in Gran Canaria, with goals from Maxi Pérez and Hernán Santana.
From then on, the three years of parenthesis for UD Las Palmas in the First Division In which both teams did not coincide in the Copa del Rey, until the yellow team descended to the Second Division in 2017/2018.
After a convulsive start in the 2018/2019 academic year, with the dismissal of Manolo Jiménez, it would be Paco Herrera again who would sit on the bench in the first derby of the season back in December 2018 to assimilate a new 1-1 draw against the eternal rival, with goals from Sergio Araujo and Suso Santana.
The Pepe Mel cycle
In May 2019, the first record of the Madrid coach in the Canarian derby would begin as yellow, since it must be remembered that he had lived it before as coach of Tenerife in the First Division, when Las Palmas won at Heliodoro, 1-3, with goals from Tevenet, Josico and Nacho González.
Thus, shortly after his arrival in Gran Canaria in the second leg of the league, he lost 2-1 at Heliodoro against the players then coached by José Luis Oltra. While last season there was a double zero tie in the Canarian derby.
In this way, if for the UD it is the first victory after six games without achieving it, For Pepe Mel it is the first Canarian derby to win in his career after five attempts.
Now, as the head of the Gran Canaria, and his first derby achieved, He completed his 70th game on the island bench this Sunday and accumulates 23 victories, 24 draws and 23 defeats. So he could not hide his happiness at the end of the match, thus addressing the fans: “Without the fans, the people who support the club because they have feelings for the entity, for the shield and for the colors, this makes no sense. Derbies are won, it doesn't matter in what way ”.