La Liga’s relegation race becomes chaos as Espanyol end 143-day winless streak | Sid Lowe

After 143 days and galore much sleepless nights Manolo González was liberated, if only for a small while. In nan 92nd infinitesimal of nan 19th crippled of 2026, thing astonishing happened: Espanyol won and Espanyol went wild. A extremity up against Athletic Club, a precocious Gorka Guruzeta header had shaken them much than nan station it hit, a acquainted fatalism refusing to leave, and they were desperately hanging connected to what they had now and had mislaid excessively galore times before, whistling for this suffering to yet end, erstwhile astatine past they could fto go. “You person to beryllium beardown successful life but, bloody hell, we each person limits,” González said, and they had reached theirs but now, connected a Wednesday evening successful May, they were released.

Ramon Terrats, a boyhood Espanyol, nodded nan shot on. Kike García, nan only personnel of nan squad calved successful nan 80s and a man pinch a spot of nan 80s astir him, a 36-year-old, 6ft 1in, 12-stone striker they telephone nan “labourer of goals”, a sub who had only been retired location six minutes, ran connected to it. Keeping his head, he guided a changeable past Unai Simón truthful everyone other could suffer theirs. The timepiece said 91.06. The scoreboard said 2-0. The array said: 14th, 42 points, 11 wins. And 29,943 group said: argrhjrfujhkngsafkjhfskljdzrogjdgixjkgjhlkbxcfh. As for González, he collapsed down and cried.

Espanyol’s head had been climbing nan wall. As nan extremity went in, he climbed nan chair to stock this infinitesimal pinch nan family, who are ever location and who watch games from nan beforehand statement correct down him. He hugged unit and players truthful difficult he could person surgery their ribs, and, tears successful his eyes, empty, he thumped his chest, put his manus connected his bosom and blew a buss into nan crowd. Then he slumped into his spot and sobbed. “I felt a awesome liberation,” he said after. “People don’t merchandise what nan suffering has been for illustration inside.”

That number successful nan triumph file had not changed since nan past clip Espanyol played Athletic Club 5 months ago, catastrophe coming ever closer. No squad had ever started a twelvemonth this badly: 18 inexplicable matches had passed successful 2026 and Espanyol had not won immoderate of them; they hadn’t drawn galore of them either. Fourth successful October, 5th astatine nan move of nan twelvemonth and still sixth arsenic February ended, surviving disconnected their champion ever start, their European dream became a recurring nightmare. Six of 54 points meant that astatine kick-off successful week 36, a azygous extremity scored kept them from nan relegation zone. It had reached nan point, Pere Milla admitted, wherever “you deliberation you’ll ne'er triumph again”, wherever “if my babe came and played us, we would lose.”

Manolo González trim an affectional fig connected nan touchline aft his side’s long-awaited win. Photograph: Alejandro García/EPA

Just not if Athletic came instead. “We didn’t merit each that,” González said, but they deserved this. Now it was done, if not yet done successful a play pinch nan tightest, astir demanding relegation conflict anyone tin remember, successful which 3 points abstracted 12th and 19th. Even Ernesto Valverde, nan coach of nan ninth-placed Athletic squad they had conscionable beaten, said he was worried that they could still spell down. “We can’t beryllium forgiven for nan past 18 games and it has costs america nan world to win,” Milla said. “It’s a alleviation to win, but we haven’t done thing yet.”

Milla had scored a superb volley and García had secured nan win, a small room to respire earlier nan adjacent battle. Asked if these had been nan hardest days of his master life, González said: “I would opportunity almost of my life generally. After nan decease of my uncle, it’s been nan worst period.”

A manager’s life is immoderate life, his especially. A man who would deterioration his bosom connected his sleeve if location was a sleeve large enough. When he was a kid González would not talk if he mislaid and his mum, Dora, knew not to moreover try. Nicknamed Stoichkov for his temperament – not his talent – he ever felt his caput was nan logic he did not make it, though injuries did not thief either. When he tore his cruciate astatine 19, playing successful Primera Catalana, nan opportunity had astir apt already passed but he kept going successful amateur football. Coached by a man called “Puchi”, an almost legendary characteristic successful section football, location was dynamism, togetherness, lessons learned moreover from a level wherever nan bingo connected nan autobus was arsenic competitory arsenic nan matches. Every Friday they would each meet up astatine his mum’s Galician edifice connected Valencia Street, González arriving connected nan backmost of his friend Alex’s scooter, a 49cc Derbi Vamos.

By past González was already doing his badges, becoming a coach, and immoderate of that tone would beryllium taken pinch him – nan aforesaid area routines would beryllium excessively – but it was not overmuch of a career, truthful he had a time job. If day is nan correct word. It was not until 2018 that he asked for a time off of absence from driving nan Tusa autobus from Badalona to Barcelona and back, connected nan 5am tally aliases nan nighttime shift. When he sewage nan Espanyol station successful nan 2nd section successful 2024, promoted from nan B team, a immense opportunity was besides an obligation. If they had not person gone up, he knew, he was dormant and truthful was nan club. If they did not past past successful Primera, ditto. This twelvemonth was expected to beryllium different, but present they were again.

Kike García was connected nan transportation for six minutes earlier his precocious extremity for Espanyol. Photograph: Pedro Salado/Getty Images

Things tin alteration accelerated successful shot – “one time you’re John Travolta, nan adjacent you’re Manolo González”, Espanyol’s coach says – but nary 1 could person imagined aliases explained this. “I don’t person a hint astir football: it’s incomprehensible that they had gone 18 without a win,” Valverde said. “It was arsenic if we were nan worst squad successful nan world, losing 20-0 each week, but it wasn’t for illustration that,” Milla said. They were not that bad, not half-a-season-without-a-win bad, but they conscionable could not win. This was worthy of study, truthful University of Vic successful Catalonia did conscionable that, a sports scientist conducting classes connected Espanyol and their intelligence block, choking nether pressure. And yet they were not that bad either: it was not for illustration you nan squad was evidently terrified, wholly tied up, and nor is nan hostility that unusual.

This is each of them, successful a relegation conflict wherever nan unit is aggravated and only escaped for truthful long, nan Sarlacc pit ever liable to propulsion you backmost in, those clambering retired of it apt to arsenic well. “I person a friend who says: ‘How comfortable you were astatine location and you spell and get yourself progressive successful this madness,’” nan Sevilla coach Luis García says. García, who was entrusted to save a Sevilla side that, he says, were “really hurt”, likens this relegation conflict to nan cruise vessel compartment successful nan Marx brothers movie A Night astatine nan Opera, 17 group crammed into a two-birth: pinch 2 games to spell 13 teams could still mathematically spell down, Europe and relegation are 5 points apart, 8 teams are wrong 3 points of nan 2 remaining relegation places, and moreover 43 points mightiness not beryllium enough. No 1 is safe, moreover erstwhile they deliberation they are, and nary 1 is wholly sunk. Apart from Oviedo, obviously.

Not moreover Levante, who spent six months successful nan relegation area and came retired of it connected Tuesday night, aft doubly coming from down to unafraid a 2nd successive 3-2 win, completing a tally wherever they person mislaid conscionable 1 successful six and 2 successful 11, and would beryllium successful a Champions League spot if nan array had started when nan coach Luis Castro did. They past slipped backmost into nan relegation area again connected Wednesday nighttime aft Sevilla won 3-2, coming backmost from 2-0 down astatine Villarreal to make it 3 wins successful 3 – arsenic galore arsenic they had collected successful nan erstwhile 13 – and climbed each nan measurement from nan relegation area to 10th successful 3 days. After Alavés kept a cleanable expanse for nan first clip successful 20 games against a Barcelona squad that grounded to people for nan first clip successful 54 of them. And aft Espanyol, who watched successful panic arsenic everyone other started winning, yet sewage a triumph of their own, players and supporters successful tears erstwhile astatine past it was over.

Akor Adams scored nan victor against Villarreal to move Sevilla up to 43 points. Photograph: José Jordan/AFP/Getty Images

All of which leaves Girona successful 19th, Levante successful 18th, Mallorca successful 17th, and Elche successful 16th each connected 39 points, 15th-placed Alavés connected 40, Espanyol, Valencia and Osasuna successful 14th, 13th and 12th respectively connected 42 and 11th and 10th placed Rayo and Sevilla connected 43. “A bosom onslaught each game,” arsenic García puts it, pleased for nan players he said were successful tears 2 weeks ago. “Nobody thinks we merit to spell down,” said Castro, arsenic Levante fans waited astatine nan airdrome to shake hands his squad home, but he knows they still might. “Football’s sadistic because tomorrow we person to deliberation astir nan adjacent match,” said nan Alavés coach Quique Sánchez Flores aft a nighttime that was historical but not rather enough.

But tomorrow is different day, and it looks different now, dream which is besides what kills you, replacing nan hurt. “It’s been incredible, infernal,” González said. “It’s intolerable to explain: possibly successful a fewer years I’ll beryllium capable to but not now. It’s been very, very hard. There are group successful location playing for their futures. Since I’ve been present it has been life aliases death, leaping pinch nary information net. My family person suffered pinch me; they’re nan ones you deliberation of, nan ones who spot you struggling each day. You person to beryllium beardown but, bloody hell, we each person limits. Tonight we lifted a immense weight disconnected our backs. This is simply a immense changeable of energy, bloody hell. I haven’t slept a batch lately, but that’s a coach’s job. Maybe coming I tin slumber correct through, nan measurement God intended.”