Agony and ecstasy in La Liga after a survival battle for the ages | Sid Lowe

Eder Sarabia wasn’t retired location to spot nan tightest, tensest battle location has ever been extremity pinch liberation astatine last, but his mum and dada were and he wasn’t acold away. Suspended for nan last nighttime of a play for illustration nary other, Elche’s coach was hidden down successful nan dressing room instead, watching nan crippled that he knew was “us aliases them” connected a TV group perched precariously upon a metallic crate. There, arsenic unit ran successful and retired delivering messages until it was his move to group disconnected connected a sprint, he saw nan lucifer that defined 5 teams’ destiny decorativeness 1-1. Mobile successful hand, alerts beeping, astir of each he saw suffering. “Terrible, terrible, terrible,” he called it later, but by past astatine slightest it was done. Elche were safe. Their opponents, Girona, were down. Real Mallorca, for illustration Real Oviedo, were going pinch them.

“Crazy, crazy day, crazy match, a batch of emotions: this convention was really crazy,” Sarabia said. He had spent overmuch of it surrounded by apparel connected hooks and flags taped to walls; for illustration everyone else, he had besides spent it, he said, “on nan separator of nan precipice”. From nan visitors’ dressing room astatine Montilivi, he had seen Álvaro Rodríguez people nan benignant of extremity that wins cups successful cartoons, tearfully dedicating it to his precocious dad, and Arnau Martínez equalise. He had seen cameras zoom successful connected his parents successful nan stands and wondered really Manu, a erstwhile footballer who doesn’t truthful overmuch watch games arsenic broadcast them, looked truthful calm erstwhile they were a extremity from losing it all. He had seen Thomas Lemar deed Elche’s bar, “+7” look connected nan screen, and his goalkeeper drawback a transverse connected 95.55, Matías Dituro triumphantly holding nan shot for illustration Rafiki connected Pride Rock, but it still wasn’t over.

In nan 97th infinitesimal of nan 38th game, he heard nan proprietor travel successful and opportunity it’s done and heard himself say: no, they’ve sewage a free-kick. He saw Girona’s goalkeeper going up for it too. What he couldn’t spot yet, not from there, was his subs celebrating connected nan touchline wherever he should person been and his adjunct Jon López was instead. The players had voted not to cognize astir different games, but now they knew. Christian Bragarnik was right: last whistles had gone elsewhere and Elche were safe now immoderate happened, a last, hopeless thought going information nan ground, nan minds of Girona fans: they could fto america people now. On nan surface though, Miguel Sesma Espinosa blew and Sarabia dashed retired nan door, down nan stairs, on nan passageway and correct up nan ramp, moving crossed nan writer towards his team, celebrating survival.

Newly promoted, it had taken a points record: ne'er earlier had Elche reached nan 42 they had going into week 38. That full would person been capable to past each twelvemonth for nan past 14 and much much than capable successful astir of them, but not this clip truthful it had taken them until nan last time too. Now a 1-1 tie astatine Girona, who started and ended nan time conscionable 2 points behind, put them connected 43 and successful primera for different year.

When Sarabia reached nan corner, hugging everyone en route, nan players and unit were leaping astir earlier nan 306 fans hammering against 1 of those Perspex screens for illustration a bunch of Benjamin Braddocks. Some 612km down nan coast, much supporters poured into nan streets, wherever they would hold location until nan squad turned up astatine 3am. The convention had blocked requests for a elephantine surface to show nan crippled successful Plaça de Baix but they couldn’t extremity this. They had earned it: each year, and each night.

Elche’s players observe staying up. Photograph: Siu Wu/EPA

“This was for illustration a Champions League final,” said midfielder Gonzalo Villar. “If you suffer aliases draw, you enactment up. If you lose, you tin spell down. It is nan worst point I’ve been through, particularly erstwhile they deed nan bar. I deliberation this will beryllium 1 of nan champion parties ever, 100%.”

Yet it mightiness not moreover person been nan champion statement of nan night; it surely wasn’t nan only one. Likened by Sevilla head Luis García to nan Marx Brothers segment successful which 17 group compression into a two-berth compartment connected a cruise ship, nan conflict against relegation has ne'er been much crowded aliases much costly. As precocious arsenic week 37, 9 teams could travel Oviedo successful segunda and while Sevilla, Espanyol, Valencia and Alavés escaped, location were still 2 places to capable and 5 teams who could capable them erstwhile week 38 began.

Mallorca were 19th connected 39 points, Girona a spot supra them connected 40, some successful nan relegation zone. Just supra them were Elche, Osasuna and Levante each connected 42. Mallorca, nan only 1 of nan 5 not to person their destiny successful their ain hands, were playing relegated Oviedo astatine home. Levante went to Betis. And Osasuna to Europe-chasing Getafe astatine nan Coliseum, while Girona were astatine location against Elche, who had only won erstwhile away. All of those were played astatine nan aforesaid clip and successful nan probable arena of a tie, head-to-head records, would decide; successful nan very plausible arena of a three- aliases four-way tie, a mini-league of results betwixt those clubs would.

All of which meant that location were immoderate scenarios successful which endurance meant needing your relegation rivals to win. And that though erstwhile it came to it, nan last day, started, ended and wholly played retired pinch Mallorca and Girona successful nan relegation zone, nary 1 felt safe until nan whistle went. Levante went from 1-0 down to 1-1, past 2-1 down pinch 20 minutes left. Mallorca defeated Oviedo, their 3-0 triumph nan only crippled decided earlier nan whistle. And pinch an hr gone astatine Getafe, Osasuna went a extremity down, yet losing 1-0. At Montilivi, Girona soon responded to Elche’s 39th-minute opener pinch Arnau Martínez’s equaliser connected 48 minutes giving them a half to rescue themselves … and others.

Mallorca, who had needed 4 results to spell their measurement now only needed a extremity to. The occurrence was on: for 10 second-half minutes a Girona extremity wouldn’t conscionable person taken them retired of nan relegation zone; it would person taken Mallorca retired too. For nan remainder of it, a azygous extremity location would person pulled them clear and pushed Osasuna in, Elche’s destiny nary longer successful their ain hands. When Lemar’s changeable deed nan barroom that script was on, 4.5 inches each that prevented it. Which is why, arsenic Sarabia watched connected tv from conscionable a fewer metres away, 701km west, Osasuna’s players were watching too. They saw retired their play engulfed by a transportation invasion, red-shirted footballers drowning successful a oversea of Getafe blue, desperately pressing earphones against their heads, gathered astir phones and iPads until nan last whistle erstwhile they were liberated too, near crying and hugging each other, celebrating successful pinch nan Getafe fans.

In nan end, those 42 had been capable to survive. Just. They were capable for Levante too, but not Mallorca, a three-way necktie sending them down. Above them, Elche survived connected 43, a superb commencement to nan play giving measurement to a tally wherever they didn’t triumph for 11 weeks but nan broadside recovering successful time. Below them, Girona went down connected 41, nan illusion of information partially what ensured that they weren’t safe astatine all, being excessively bully for relegation portion of nan logic they were not bully capable to debar it. Injury and ill-fortune had deed them difficult excessively and 3 points from 21, a precocious illness reminiscent of their autumn successful 2019, intends nan squad that played PSG, Liverpool, Milan and Arsenal past twelvemonth will play Ceuta, Andorra, Albacete and Real Sociedad B next.

The opposition was cruel. At full-time, arsenic Elche’s players and their coach started running, Girona’s conscionable collapsed. Heads hid beneath towels and tops, bodies heaving. Fans cried, staring into space: this wasn’t expected to happen. In 1 corner, Elche’s players celebrated pinch their supporters; astatine nan different extremity Girona’s made their way, overmuch much slowly, towards their own. Some were angry, shouting abuse. Most conscionable stood successful silence, broken. Most of nan players did too. “We person fixed everything,” Portu promised them, but location was thing they could really say, conscionable put their hands up: sorry. And that didn’t trim it. “This hurts,” Girona coach Míchel said. “Football has been cruel. You look for personification to blasted and that’s me; I’m responsible.”

“It’s difficult: it was Girona aliases us,” Sarabia said. Going past nan dressing room wherever he had spent his evening and which was fuller now, euphony blaring out, drinks being thrown astir to nan sound of Freed from Desire and La Morocha, past wherever his parents waited, he headed on nan constrictive corridor lined pinch shirts to nan property conference, sweating and exhausted but fulfilled, he and his team’s first play successful primera ending pinch history made. As he spoke, Míchel, nan head who took Girona to places nary 1 ever imagined, competing for the convention title and qualifying for nan Champions League, stood outside, caput down and each unsocial successful a whitewashed, windowless room, waiting and listening to nan applause down nan wall.

“Coaches, pfff … we person a large responsibility: I felt it, Sarabia said. “There are thousands and thousands of group down a shot squad and we’re nan ones responsible for them. Football is inexplicable: it takes you done affectional states that don’t make sense: a extremity tin beryllium nan quality betwixt glory aliases being sunk. There is nary athletics for illustration this and this profession has its bad moments but this is for nan people, nan city, nan badge, nan families, those who person been raised connected this club, and coming we person to bask it; this belongs to everyone.”