Real Oviedo's dream return to La Liga has turned into a nightmare, as the Asturian club becomes the first team relegated from Spain's top flight in the 2025-26 season—with three games still to play. After a 24-year absence, Los Carbayones' fairytale promotion has been cut brutally short by a turbulent campaign marked by instability and poor results.

The final nail in the coffin came not from their own match, but from a dramatic 1-1 draw between Rayo Vallecano and Girona, where a stoppage-time equalizer from veteran striker Cristhian Stuani mathematically condemned Oviedo to an immediate return to the Segunda División. Sitting on just 29 points—10 adrift of safety with only nine points available—the club's fate was sealed far earlier than anyone hoped.

Oviedo's season was defined by chaos from the start. Two managerial changes in the opening months left the squad scrambling for identity. The controversial sacking of Veljko Paunovic, the very man who ended the club's 24-year top-flight exile, proved disastrous. Under his replacement Lluis Carrion, the team hit their worst run of form, managing just 10 points from 16 matches. It wasn't until December, when Guillermo Almada took charge, that Oviedo began to show fight—collecting 19 points in 19 games. But the damage was already done.

Almada's tenure has brought respectability if not results. His points-per-game rate would have been enough to survive over a full season, but the early hole was simply too deep. Now Oviedo face a daunting finish: a trip to the Santiago Bernabéu to face Real Madrid, a final home game against Alavés at the Nuevo Carlos Tartiere, and a season-ending clash with Mallorca at Son Moix. For fans, these matches are now about pride, not survival.

Club legend Santi Cazorla, who returned to Oviedo to help lead the charge back to La Liga, admitted the season has been a painful learning experience. Speaking at an event where he hinted these could be his final games as a professional, the 41-year-old midfielder offered a sobering reflection: "We have many lessons to learn from this season—about club decisions, management, and the importance of everyone pulling together. It's fundamental that this club remains united at every level. This year, at times, we lost that unity, and we can't let it happen again."

For Oviedo, the immediate future is about rebuilding. The foundation is there—passionate fans, a proud history, and a manager who has shown he can compete. But as the club prepares for life back in the Segunda, the message from their iconic captain is clear: unity is everything.