Tenerife honour Jesus de Miguel with 2-0 win in emotional first match since striker's death

Tenerife dedicated a 2-0 victory over Ceuta to Jesus de Miguel on Saturday, playing their first competitive match since the striker’s death following a collision during a Segunda División fixture on 3 November.

De Miguel died in hospital a day after the incident, in which he collided with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono. The match at Tenerife’s stadium was preceded by a series of tributes: players from both sides and the match officials walked out wearing “De Miguel 9” shirts and black armbands, a wreath was placed on the pitch, and a minute of silence was observed, framed by a standing ovation from supporters.

In the ninth minute — a nod to De Miguel’s squad number — play was halted for a further round of applause while a video tribute to the striker was shown on the stadium screens, mirroring ceremonies held across all first and second-tier Spanish fixtures the previous weekend. Tenerife fans unfurled a banner reading: “Jesus De Miguel, 9, eternally blue and white.”

Forward Nacho Gil opened the scoring in the 40th minute, immediately holding up De Miguel’s shirt to the crowd before revealing a message written beneath his own: “Demi, always in our hearts” — Demi being De Miguel’s nickname among teammates and supporters.

Neal Viereck sealed the result four minutes from time, completing a 2-0 win that ended Tenerife’s run of six matches without a victory and lifted the club to 14th in the Segunda División table. Ceuta remain rooted to the bottom.

Tenerife’s previous scheduled fixture, against Granada last Saturday, had been postponed, with the club opening the stadium so supporters could pay their respects. The squad and staff had also attended De Miguel’s funeral in Navahermosa three days before that.