How crazy the Second Division. Real Valladolid has been promoted to the First Division after a crazy penultimate day, where everything has happened and everything has favored Pucela despite flirting with drama. The Blanquivioletas have miraculously won at home against bottom Villarreal B and have enjoyed the defeat in Gijón of Eibar, their rival for direct promotion. Leganés has not yet been able to confirm the return to Primera, but a simple point in the last match of the course will mean the change of category. Eibar, by falling at El Molinón, once again missed the opportunity to jump directly to First Division. Ronaldo’s Pucela combined a relegation, a promotion, a relegation and now a new promotion after an irregular season, with more results than style or play, and with the coach, Paulo Pezzolano, criticized by the fans.
Valladolid approached the match as always: waiting for events. Without suffering too much at the back, but without much bite at the top, with one eye and one ear on Gijón and some interest in Ferrol. There Leganés struck first: goal. The pepineros were First Division until the Galicians equalized and things went to half-time as if nothing had happened, like before 6:30 p.m. on this adrenaline-filled Sunday.
After the break, a Pucelano arreón left the target of Raúl Moro, differential on the wing all year but without regularity in minutes. Pezzolano had it where he wanted: them ahead and the competition without hitting the mark. But the rival also plays and if the reserves have something, it is self-confidence. A muddled action in the Masip area brought Lekovic’s equalizer and left the matter an hour before… Until the script changed in Gijón.
Campuzano overtook his team and did a huge favor to Zorrilla, a historic rival fan. If he scored, the local team was in the First Division. The equation seemed simple, but everything, as has happened so often since August, went out of control. Tasende ahead of Villarreal. What a drama in Zorrilla, entrusted once again to barbarism. There were 10 minutes left and there was not even a tie. Meseguer, an unexpected guest at the goal event this season, headed home one of those balls that hang into the area because something has to be done with the ball, which burns on the feet like the transistor in the stands. Tie.
Radio round. Eibar continued to win in Asturias and Leganés took the lead in A Malata, although it mattered little in Castilla. The people sang and sang and in this sport, which has already been invented, the thing of loading the area and seeing what happens worked again. Even on this crazy day the VAR had to appear. Penalty. Penalty! Zorrilla celebrated. Penalty? Eibar lamented, unable to equalize or turn around in Gijón. Penalty, confirmed Sylla, who caught the ball as if it were not burning.
The African was left alone eleven meters from the goalkeeper, but surrounded by 25,000 souls, with nothing to sing or shout, empty after so much frenzy. One step. Another step. Another step. Silence. The Senegalese jogs towards the ball. Valladolid, Eibar and Leganés hold their breath. The right boot hits the leather and heads towards the natural stick of a right-hander, the left of the goalkeeper. The archer jumps in and hits the side. The eleven meters last an eternity while the ball runs low on the green towards Primera. The goalkeeper’s left glove does not reach him and he kisses the tights and Zorrilla hugs himself, enjoys, celebrates, screams, cries. All at once while the bench gallops towards the scorer.
Gijón has finished and it doesn’t matter that Leganés was tied at the end also with a penalty. Pucela is once again First Division and does so with another unprecedented scene in this unpredictable sport. The stadium chants “Pezzolano, resignation!”, fed up with the coach and the irregular year in performance, but effective in the result. The Uruguayan, after facing the fans all season, faces up. He puts his hands to his ears and waves his arms while the crowd gets excited.
After a while, the fans return to focusing on what is important. Goodbye, Second. Leganés would like it, with a point missing in the last ball of the year, and an Eibar that for the third consecutive time is on the verge of direct promotion. In the first two he did not achieve the laurel. There is still a promotion promotion to determine who else accompanies the questioned Ronaldo’s Pucela in a new adventure in the First Division.
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