Granada salvaged a 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad on Monday, earning a valuable point in its bid to avoid dropping from the Spanish league.
Odion Ighalo turned to flick a weak shot beyond goalkeeper Claudio Bravo for the 93-minute equalizer that moved the Andalucians three points above the drop zone.
“Staying up is still a possibility,” Ighalo told Spanish broadcaster Cuatro after scoring from what TV replays showed could have been an offside position. “We’re going to fight right until the end.”
Granada was reduced to 10-men in the 54th when Recio was shown a second yellow card for protesting, just three minutes before Sociedad defender Mikel Gonzalez also exited after his hard challenge earned a straight red card.
Sociedad had gone ahead in the 77th when Carlos Vela squeezed a cross inside the near post, but Ighalo’s late dramatics meant the Basque club must wait another round before its place in next season’s Europa League is secured. Sixth-place Real enjoys a five-point advantage over Villarreal for the league’s last European place and sits two points behind Sevilla.
Granada, meanwhile, has 38 points to sit above Almeria and Getafe, which share 36 points. Osasuna is 18th with 35 points in the final drop spot.
Atletico Madrid leads on 88 points, while Barcelona has 85. Real Madrid has 83 points but plays one more game than Atletico and Barcelona, at Real Valladolid on Wednesday.
