Sixty years later, Eldense return to the second tier after an epic game, a merry-go-round of comings and goings in-game and on the scoreboard in which their rival, Raúl González’ Castilla, squandered two scoreboard advantages. First the 2-0 that gave them a first-half lead, and then the 3-2 they scored after a penalty conceded and taken by Arribas, their most virtuous footballer, seven minutes from the end of extra time. The inexperience and lack of calluses doomed the Madrid affiliate, who relinquished the final game after losing possession in a collegiate side’s turnover. Ortuño signed the goal with a cross shot that led to the rise of the powerful Eldense. In the last play, Castilla challenged a penalty against Pablo when he tried to finish the ball in the penalty area.
Under the auspices of Pascual Pérez, owner of telephone and fiber optics company Finetwork, Eldense was one of the favorites for promotion from the start of the course. This is the third time in a row that the successful businessman has taken over the helm of the club, which has been transformed into a sports limited company and is planning a modern 18,000-capacity stadium. Finetwork also sponsored the Spanish team, a connection thought to have been severed recently by a video of coach Luis de la Fuente speaking out in support of bullfighting. For this reason, in the last concentration, the coach of La Roja wore a sweatshirt over his shoulders that covered the company logo.
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It was not an easy enterprise like the white subsidiary in Elda. They needed to win after the draw (1-1) in the first leg as the equalizer after 90 minutes and extra time was useless as they finished in a worse position than Eldense in the regular season. The regulations state that the penalty shootout will not take place.
The statistics also confirmed the complexity of the task for Raúl’s footballers. The local team had not lost a game at their stadium throughout the course. Birth certificates also reflected a match between boys and men. The Eldense are the second tallest in the first RFEF, averaging 28 years, compared to the youngest at 19.
However, it was Castilla that exuded looser football from the start. He played with the overpressure of local players who represent one of the strongest and most solid economic projects in the bronze tier of Spanish football.
Castilla’s two goals in ten minutes, between 25 and 35, reflected the greater lab with which the merengue natives dominated the game. Rafa Marín, Imperial, converted a delicate Arribas cross and converted a powerful header. The second goal was a futsal-style manual counterattack. Obrador reached the bottom line and his cross ended in a drop shot by Uruguay’s Álvaro Rodríguez for Dotor’s shot.
There was only one team on the field. The Eldense showed signs of being overwhelmed and outclassed by Castilla’s football storm. Their players’ ankles were too stiff to make sharp passes and set up a game, so they scored on the sidelines of the first half. Nieto hammered a side cross just wide of the post with a great header.
That goal gave way to another game in Act II. The Eldense suggested the fight that suited him best, more physically demanding, with more shock and hard leg. There the tenderness of the Castilla players was more noticeable. With the ball he had been clearly superior to Arribas, Dotor and Nico Paz, but when the time came for the other football he emerged as the loser. The Eldense trade has been introduced. A ball from Bernal on the right side of the box pushed Carlos Hernández into the net. From the tie to the end of the 90 minutes and also into extra time, a total game ensued. Brazenly, the two teams looked for the goal that would certify their promotion. Dotor forced Vallejo into a miraculous intervention with a choppy header. Joel responded with a dizzying counterattack, which he placed against Luis López. Melted from the barrel, his shot was tame and focused. The lanky Castilla goalkeeper also denied the home side’s third goal, saving a Mario Soberón header from close range after the first half of extra time had elapsed.
The last quarter of an hour began with a maneuver by Arribas that led to the last penalty. And in the latest local bullying, Luis López rose to prominence again despite not being able to avoid Ortuño’s historic draw.
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