The cachis flew, the ice flew, the scarves flew and even the chairs on the ground floor of El Molinón flew when the final whistle sounded in Elda. Only a few minutes had passed, but the suffering of the first half with the numbers that didn’t work had been left behind, the covering of one’s face with one’s hands after Yáñez’s save had been left behind. Behind, tremendously behind, as if a thousand years had passed, we had to hold our breath hoping not to hear Moreno Aragón’s whistle for Rivera’s possible penalty. Only the present mattered, the satisfaction, the euphoria, the ecstasy. The immense joy of knowing that, this time, things had finally turned out well. The joy of knowing that Sporting had achieved a more than deserved ticket to the play-off to First Division and that the suffering of a crazy afternoon was worth it. “Now it’s time to finish it off,” many fans said.
El Molinón went from drama to ecstasy: “Now it’s time to finish” / Pablo Palomo
The Elda party overflowed the city. One of the epicenters of the red-and-white earthquake was experienced in El Molinón. Sporting played more than eight hundred kilometers from their temple, but it was on the ground floor of the coliseum where the party was biggest. There, in the hospitality venues, several hundred fans gathered. There were so many that a good part of them could barely see the screens in the bars.
El Molinón went from drama to ecstasy: “Now it’s time to finish” / Pablo Palomo
But they were there anyway, sensing what was happening and using the radio, WhatsApp and mobile phones to find out what was happening in Éibar and Villarreal. “The nerves are tremendous,” said Emilio Martínez and Alba Lago, a couple who watched football almost from the doorway of one of the bars. They were going to say something else, but they couldn’t because right at that moment the whole area exploded with emotion. Roque Mesa has just scored the goal that put Sporting into promotion. “There are no words, there are no words. It’s amazing,” Davor Sánchez, another native of Gijon who experienced the game from El Molinón, tried to scream, now without his voice. He went with his partner, his sister and his friends. There was a terrible hug with everyone with the goal. The final minutes were tremendous. Pure nerve. People shouted at the screen asking for the time. With the end of the game, the emotion overflowed. People celebrated on top of the tables, throwing glasses in the air, shouting and even dancing a pogo. José Costales and Olga González celebrated with a kiss.
El Molinón went from drama to ecstasy: “Now it’s time to finish” / Pablo Palomo
“Sporting always gives us adrenaline,” they said. “I have to get up early, but it doesn’t matter. Today (yesterday), let’s celebrate,” said Laura Carrión, with her group of friends. The afternoon was long and as the cars left the park, those present drove by them, forcing them to honk their horns, as if they were those of the players who are already the heroes of Elda.
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2024-06-03 02:00:40
#Molinón #drama #ecstasy #time #finish
