Cádiz breaks their long drought to reach a point that means everything

“This was a light of hope,” said Mauricio Pellegrino, a sudden flash that brought them back to life. Cádiz had tried everything. They changed the coach, they changed the players and they even changed their shirt. They also tried free transfers and free tickets. Valencia, Athletic, Real Sociedad and Betis hosted them, they went to Pamplona, ​​Villarreal, Vitoria and Granada, and it didn’t do any good. They had gone through all the center they had, and that was enough, but it wasn’t happening. They were scoreless in five games, six early; they had only received one in eight, and that was a penalty. They had not won in 21 league games, almost six months. They were made. And then someone had a bright idea. Did you just try to beat him?

On Sunday evening in the 100th minute of the biggest game, Darwin Machís did. As hard as he could, for the first time, running in. From the top left corner of the area, the clock on 99.02, he broke a shot that you could actually make. hear, the chord echoes as the ball tears into the near post. He was only on the field for a short time but with one shot, he had revived his team. It was just the equalizer; Cádiz have yet to win since the first day of September and their 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo didn’t even pull them out of the relegation zone. But during that furious moment – ​​the bench emptying, teammates tearing up the lead after the scorer, his savior – it felt like everything.

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This game was huge, after all, the biggest of the season so far. Celta coach Rafa Benítez had carefully avoided declaring it his final, although most managers and every single newspaper will happily call any old game these days. But his team’s trip to Cádiz, 18th against 17th, was “life or death” claimed Diario de Cádiz. Four points from safety, Celta was Cádiz’s only hope of survival; they could not let them slip any further away. This was one they had to win. Lose and they would be six points and on goal difference behind, two wins from safety for a team that had only won twice all season – in weeks one and four.

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The week before the game, Cádiz had made available tickets to members of the club to pack the place. They had also introduced a new shirt especially for the occasion, Brazilian yellow swapped for light blue. Inspired by the sea, a nod to the fleet, a compass and an anchor rose in one corner, Juan Sebastián Elcano a training ship on the neck, waves all the way, it would be bad enough anyway; and wearing it against Celta, whose colors they took, was even worse. But they had to try something. And the last two times they’ve worn special one-off shirts – purple in 2021-22 and an orange carnival-inspired thing the following year – it’s worked, so it’s worth a try. There was nothing for a club when they no longer seemed to be themselves.

If there’s a fun place in football, it’s down in the bay, all bright yellow and loud. Home of Spain’s first constitution and its biggest carnival, life here is a laugh, even when it’s tough. On the way into the ground, a phrase on the wall declares “he who is against Cádiz is against humanity”. This is a happy place, a delightfully silly place too; it is a club that feels it is a cause and is loved only by loyal fans. Or, at least, it is supposed to be. Lately though there has been tension, tedium too, pessimism taking over the most optimistic of all. There was little faith in the president and little confidence in the players, probably the worst teams in Spain.

For most of Sunday there was neither. There were already eleven goals in Cádiz thanks to Iago Aspas’ brilliant strike. In the 58th minute, Williot Swedberg made it 2-0 and it was difficult to imagine a way back when no one in La Liga scored fewer goals than Cádiz, only Valencia took fewer shots, no one on a lower xG and They haven’t been a La Liga team as recently as Logroñés nearly 30 years ago.

There was another try on the front line, fans whistling the departing Maxi Gómez – 21 games, no goals. Top scorer Chris Ramos and Sergi Guardiola were brought on, and while there were a number of chances at this point, they have just five goals to none respectively and time was slipping away. Cádiz had not scored from open play for nearly 800 minutes; on Sunday supporters could be forgiven for thinking they wouldn’t be again. With 12 weeks to go, the relegation race also seemed to be over: Almería, the best team ever and the worst team ever – could take two from Atlético, Madrid, Barcelona and Girona but not to win a single game – as well as before. And Granada and Cádiz seemed to be like that.

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When Juanmi finally scored in the 66th minute, supporters could hardly believe it, the tough release. In the stands, some couldn’t help but cry. But one goal was, well, one goal. Two was another matter – 15 games had passed since they last did that – and as in three, forget it. When Guardiola was offered at 98.33 the easiest chance you could ever imagine to at least win a game, and he almost completely missed the ball from five yards out, there was something almost inevitable about it. This was the kind of great app that said it all. From the corner though he rolled onto the path of Darwin. “I thought not,” he said. The chance was about 6,985 times more difficult than the one Guardiola had just missed and the clock was on 99.02 but his shot was ridiculousrocket into the net, hit as smart as it was cleanly.

This was the resurrection, life delivered by Darwin. They were down, as well as gone. But one funny slip of his right shoe and suddenly they believed, La Voz de Cádiz giving him “the last shout of hope”.

Real Madrid 1-0 Sevilla, Las Palmas 1-1 Osasuna, Real Betis 3-1 Athletic Bilbao, Cadiz 2-2 Celta Vigo, Almeria 2-2 Atlético, Alaves 1-1 Mallorca, Barcelona 4-0 Getafe, Real Sociedad 1 -3 Villarreal.

Monday Girona v Rayo Vallecano.

“We had them on the canvas,” Celta captain Aspas said afterwards. Two weeks ago, Celta were beaten 3-2 against Getafe with a goal in the 89th minute. Last week, they were awarded a 97th minute penalty against Barcelona. And now this, in the 100th minute, that the cruel excess does not look completely like a chance: against Real Madrid they were beaten in the 81st, against Mallorca in the 85th, against Girona in the 91st and against Athletic in the 98th. Sevilla equalized against them in the 84th. The goals in the 84th and 97th went from win to win against Las Palmas. And Barcelona came from 2-0 down to defeat them 3-2 with strikes in the 81st, 85th, and 89th. Almost half of their games slipped away from them from 80 minutes on; they have now dropped points since the 89th minute seven times. 14 points have flown by in those final minutes, enough to put them on the brink of Europe, but Aspas said: “If we’re down there it’s for a reason.”

If there is Cádiz, it is also for a reason. They remain in the bottom three, three points from safety, and may be the worst team in La Liga, still candidates to join Segunda. It was also just a draw. And yet, it yes different, life delivered by Darwin. “Before the game I would like to say that there is no terrible point but at the moment it feels like we have lost,” said Celta defender Carl Starfelt; for Cádiz, he felt that they had won, because they have something to hold on to, the huge release. Rubén Alcaraz was in tears. Guardiola promised: “We are in the fight.” At full-time, the players stood in front of the fans; forget the killer, this time there was clapping and song, communion again, a little happiness let back in at last, a little faith. “I admit the atmosphere was tense,” Pellegrino said. “Today, unlike other games, we competed until the end; the players felt they could do it. This team is alive.”