Elche’s coach watched the final, decisive match from a hidden dressing-room setup while staff delivered messages and he prepared to sprint. The game ended 1-1, securing Elche’s safety while Girona dropped and Real Mallorca and Real Oviedo also avoided survival. Sarabia observed multiple emotional moments, including a cup-winning style goal by Álvaro Rodríguez, an equaliser by Arnau Martínez, and late near-misses such as Thomas Lemar hitting the bar. He saw his goalkeeper make a stoppage-time save, yet the outcome remained uncertain until a late free-kick and the final whistle. The day produced intense tension and relief for players and families in the stands.
"He had seen Thomas Lemar hit Elche's bar, +7 appear on the screen, and his goalkeeper catch a cross on 95.55, Matias Dituro triumphantly holding the ball like Rafiki on Pride Rock, but it still wasn't over. In the 97th minute of the 38th game, he heard the owner come in and say it's done and heard himself say: no, they've got a free-kick."
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]