2 days Ago By Sergi Escudero
The Japanese Taito Suzuki, president and majority shareholder of Sant Andreu, is one of the few that has been in the stands of the Narcís Sala. Now that another edition of the Barcelona Sant Andreu-Europa derby has ended, whether local or foreign, almost every one of the 6,500 people who filled the stadium had a reason to open a glass of cava after a draw (1-1) that satisfied both teams because it left everything open despite keeping the Europa League. This intimate and intense bond between the stands and their teams contrasts with that experienced in another derby played today in Barcelona, , witnessed in Montjuïc by thousands of tourists who don't care about the result and who cool down the atmosphere of a stadium at the same speed that they help make money in modern football that Sant Andreu and Gràcia hate so much.
The difference was not only felt in the stands, with the Desperdicis of Sant Andreu and the Eskapulats of Europe looking at each other face to face after the goals of Narcís Sala and singing at the same time. , which Oriol Junqueras also sang from the stands before kickoff. The Sant Andreu fans have been making beers since early morning on Rambla de Fabra i Puig, and Europa brought 800 supporters from Gràcia, who began their expedition to Plaça del Raspall and littered the landscape with flares along the way.
But the derby was also a derby on the pitch. Intense, imprecise, overexcited, evenly matched. Sant Andreu and Europa have adopted the attitude of Barcelona writer Enrique Vila-Matas, who claims he can joke about anything except football.
The first-half derby at the Nou Sardenya was inspired by the lost picture Salvador Dalí gave to Sant Andreu, with a flurry of goals, a suspension due to a fallen fence, and the match continuing behind closed doors. Today's match at the Narcís Sala was nourished by a more normal atmosphere. Mendes could have put the home side ahead early on, but fell asleep in the build-up to his duel with Flere, and Àlex Cano, the Europa captain, chipped the ball in behind him.
However, the youngest of the Cano brothers, Jordi, was very active, crossing the ball past Nil's exit and putting Europa ahead before the half-hour mark. Sergi Serrano could have started to turn things around in the early stages of the second half, but just as Narcís Sala was celebrating the equalizer, the 25-year-old winger hit the crossbar with his shot from inside the box. Later, Jordi Cano had a chance to open up more space, but he missed.
And it cost him dearly. In the next move, Neeskens put the ball into his own net as he tried to clear a cross from Lucas Viña. From then on, Sant Andreu dominated the game in a dictatorial fashion, and Europa found themselves constantly trying to get some water out of their own box.
The Gracienas side managed to hold on. The draw keeps Europa at the top of Group 3 of the Second RFEF, the only position that grants direct promotion. They remain one point ahead of second-placed Sant Andreu with only five matches remaining.
If one or both teams (directly or through the play-offs) advance, there will be time to address the potential problems of their stadiums being made of artificial turf, a surface prohibited in the First RFEF. Sant Andreu and Europa do not deserve an exile that jeopardizes celebrations like this Sunday's..
