Against all expectations, Malaga have returned to Spain's top flight after eight years away, with a squad built around 14 academy graduates completing one of the season's most unlikely turnarounds.
A 2-1 win at Almeria in the play-off final secured promotion for a club that had spent much of the campaign mired in off-field turmoil, before the arrival of head coach Juanfran Funes transformed their fortunes entirely.
"This is Malaga," an emotional Izan Merino said after the match.
The build-up to the final was marred by ugly scenes, with the Malaga team bus stoned by local radicals on arrival at the stadium, damaging two windows and forcing kick-off back to 9.30pm after the squad was held up on the motorway for 40 minutes. The Almeria Stadium was packed, with 344 Malaga fans inside the ground and close to 5,000 more who travelled without tickets.
The first half finished goalless in a cagey, tactical contest, with Andres Fernandez and Alfonso Herrero — the division's two busiest goalkeepers — each making a single save.
Malaga broke the deadlock in the 65th minute when a poor clearance from Bonini was intercepted by Dani Lorenzo, who set up Joaquin to tee up Chupe for the opener. Six minutes later, Chupe turned provider himself, picking out Larrubia for an audacious lob that doubled Malaga's lead.
Almeria responded immediately, with Rubi's triple substitution injecting fresh energy and Leo Baptistao pulling a goal back shortly after coming on. The closing stages were frantic, with Andres denying Niño a third for Malaga and Alfonso keeping out Baptistao's effort for a possible equaliser, before Ely's headed clearance crashed off the post deep into stoppage time.
Malaga held on through 10 added minutes to seal promotion, completing a remarkable turnaround for a club that had appeared destined for a very different ending to the season just months earlier. It marked the latest twist in a play-off format that has produced some of Spanish football's most dramatic finishes since its introduction in 2011.