Racing Santander took a major step toward returning to La Liga with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Leganés at Butarque. The victory puts the Cantabrian side four points clear of Deportivo with just three matches remaining, placing them on the verge of top-flight football.
The match started with Leganés pressing high and creating several early chances through Diego García and Juan Cruz. However, Racing grew into the game and took the lead in the 25th minute when Maguette Gueye slotted home a precise finish off the post after a pass from Guliashvili.
The second half was open and end-to-end. Leganés came close to equalizing when Dani Rodríguez hit the crossbar, but Racing goalkeeper Eriksson made key saves to keep his side ahead. The decisive moment came in the 88th minute when Villalibre converted a penalty to double the lead, sparking celebrations among the traveling fans.
Leganés pulled one back in stoppage time through Asué, who scored from a rebound after a corner, but it was too little too late. The home side now face a fight to secure their Segunda División status, having lost four consecutive matches.
**Match Statistics**
– Possession: Leganés 59.2% – Racing 40.8%
– Shots: Leganés 7 – Racing 10
– Yellow cards: Leganés 6 – Racing 2
– Fouls committed: Leganés 19 – Racing 22
**Key moments**
– 25′ – Maguette Gueye opens the scoring for Racing
– 88′ – Villalibre scores from the penalty spot
– 90+8′ – Asué pulls one back for Leganés
With this win, Racing sits top of the table on 75 points, four ahead of Deportivo (71) and Almería (71). Leganés remains 16th with 42 points, just three above the relegation zone.
Next up, Racing hosts Valladolid on Saturday, while Leganés welcomes Huesca on Monday, May 18.