Deportivo had treated the last four matchdays as four finals, believing that a perfect run might be necessary to return to La Liga — a prediction made by president Escotet back in December. The first step in this final stretch was to win in Cádiz, and Hidalgo’s men delivered with a stoppage-time goal from Stoichkov in the 88th minute (0-1). The victory marked their tenth consecutive game without defeat and, more importantly, lifted them back into automatic promotion spots, pending Almería’s result later that day.
Stoichkov’s goal sparked euphoria among the more than 500 Deportivo fans present in Cádiz, as well as those who had to stay behind in A Coruña. Word of a plan to welcome the team back to the Herculine city spread like wildfire on social media, leading fans to gather at Alvedro Airport on Saturday morning to honor the blue-and-white squad after their crucial win.
The Deportivo traveling party returned from Cádiz via chartered flight from Jerez airport, with a scheduled landing in A Coruña at 11:30 AM. Nearly an hour before that, fans began arriving at Alvedro, eventually gathering nearly 500 strong to welcome their heroes. The players walked through the crowd, which required a police cordon to maintain order, and eventually bounced along with the fans amid continuous chants of “Yes, damn it, we are going up!” and “They will see us return.”
😍 Non temos palabras, deportivistas. 𝙂𝙍𝘼𝙕𝘼𝙎! 💙
— RC Deportivo (@RCDeportivo) May 9, 2026
This spectacular reception is not the first such event organized by Deportivo’s impressive fanbase, and it certainly won’t be the last. Back on March 31, for the match against Córdoba in matchday 33, a gathering was arranged to welcome the team at Riazor. That scene repeated against Málaga and, just a week ago, against Leganés on “Peñas Day.” The constant encouragement also extended to training sessions at Abegondo, where stands were filled ahead of the Mirandés clash.
Beyond these public displays, Deportivo supporters have shown unwavering loyalty for years — including during four seasons in Primera Federación — and it only grows stronger each season. With more than 27,000 season ticket holders (a capped number with a waiting list), Riazor is starting to feel too small in this thrilling end to the league campaign. The A Coruña stadium now has a higher attendance than more than half of La Liga grounds and can boast a Segunda División record crowd of 28,954 for the match against Leganés.
Next up: Sunday, May 17, against Andorra at 2:00 PM.