Oviedo beat Mirandés 3-2 on aggregate after 3-1 win
40-year-old former Arsenal man completes fairytale
Real Oviedo sealed their return to La Liga after 24 years with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Mirandés – and 40-year-old Santi Cazorla was among the scorers.
Oviedo triumphed 3-1 at home in Saturday’s promotion playoff, overturning a first-leg deficit with goals from Cazorla, Ilyas Chaira and Francisco Portillo. A packed Estadio Carlos Tartiere erupted as fans stormed the pitch at the final whistle.
Cazorla started his career in Oviedo’s youth team, joining at the age of eight and watching his heroes: Carlos Munoz, Slavisa Jokanovic, Robert Prosinecki and Petr Dubovsky. A decade later he had to leave against his will amid a financial crisis at the club. He went on to star with Villarreal, Arsenal and Spain but returned to his boyhood club two years ago, vowing: “I would play for free but you’re not allowed.”
