Looked down upon by the greats of Spanish football, the Copa del Rey has been for years where the dreams of the most modest clubs have taken refuge. Amateur soccer players eagerly await the moment of the draw to see if the hype matches them with a star, or at least with a professional team. A joy that turns into euphoria, even on a historic day, if on the day of the match David defeats Goliath, if the little one knocks down the big one, something that happens exceptionally in football but is regularly repeated in the cup tournament. , practically every year, thanks to the single-match playoffs in the field of the weakest. That feeling is what the centenary Europa clubs experienced, Sant Andreu and Olot, all of them from the second RFEF and supporting Second Division teams.
Europa, runners-up in the competition in 1923, defeated Albacete (2-1) in a packed Nou Sardenya with 3,724 fans. The scapulates, who had not qualified for the second round since 1966, had the game facing 25 seconds, with the expulsion of De la Casa. The numerical superiority led to Aday Benítez’s men locking the La Mancha team into their area. First they warned with a shot against Jordi Cano’s post and then, in a great strategic play at the corner kick, the goal came from John Neeskens, son of the legendary former Barça player, who dedicated the moment to his father, who recently died.
Albacete almost equalized with a shot that Escoruela saved on the line and after the restart they managed to beat Flere in a set piece that was finally annulled due to offside. Those from the Gràcia neighborhood, sixth in the Second RFEF, shook off the pressure with personality and Pimentel, after a rebound from the goalkeeper, scored the second into an empty goal. Morcillo closed the gap, in an isolated play, and the road to glory was suffering.
Lleida lost against Barakaldo and Badalona Futur was eliminated against Huesca
There were six minutes left, plus as many more added. Every second was full of tension. Constant ramps in the legs. Of Albacete plays that breathed danger. To celebrate every defense rejection. Until the final whistle unleashed ecstasy at the Nou Sardenya to celebrate a historic victory for Europe that several generations of escapulated fans had been waiting for for decades.
He was no less one of the great citizen rivals of the pro-Europeans. Sant Andreu doubled the bet and eliminated Mirandés (2-1), third in the silver category. The quadribarrats who returned to the Cup after five years, advanced in a great collective play with the first touch, including a backheel, which Lucas Viña defined perfectly with his left foot. The Barcelonans dominated against a Burgos team that temporarily tied things up with a penalty from Homenchenko. Xavi Molist’s men, second in the Second RFEF, were not worried. Sant Andreu continued to press until Toni Paredes made the 5,139 Narcís Sala fans explode with the winning goal. The forward did not get nervous in the one-on-one. Nil’s solvency in the Barcelona goal ended up certifying the Catalans’ pass.
Further in extremis It was the pass of an Olot that needed penalties to beat Córdoba (1-1/ 4-3) in a Municipal Stadium where there was an invasion of the field after the outcome. The Andalusians, better in the first half, scored first with a goal from Soonsup-Bell, but in the second half the Garrotxa team improved. Peñalver equalized with a quarter of an hour left and Ayala, with a shot against the crossbar in added time, was able to avoid extra time. Mas ended up being the hero of the Blaugranas with the last goal from eleven meters.
For its part, Nàstic, with a great goal from its field by Álex Jiménez, advanced to the round after winning in the field of a lower category rival like CD Ibiza (1-2), while Badalona Futur fell to Huesca (0-2) and Lleida against Barakaldo (1-3). Girona did do its homework against CD Extremadura (0-4) of the Tercera RFEF, with a double from Miovski and goals from Bryan Gil and Arnau, but Danjuma joined the long list of injuries. There is no quiet day for Míchel’s team.
#Europa #Sant #Andreu #Olot #grow #Cup
