There are football days when a wool hat is more useful than shin guards. That was the meteorological atmosphere that awaited Madrid in Vitoria, who jumped onto the grass in the middle of a whistle and with the thermometer touching five degrees … and he came out of it with the mercury falling and a certain feeling of relief. “We are all in this together,” said Xabi Alonso after closing the victory. Before and off the field, the Alavés ultras had already been in charge of warming up the preview, with a ‘kalejira’ (parade, in Basque) on the way to the stadium in which the smoke from the flares blended with the usual fog in this area of the Alava plain.
The propaganda of Iraultza 1921, present inside, can also be seen outside of Mendizorroza, something that led at the end of November to the Anti-Violence Committee’s proposal to close the field and a fine to the club of 60,001 euros for its support of “radical fans.” It is just the latest controversy related to this group, where elements of the dissidence of EH Bildu are integrated, whom they consider “social democrats”, and who make up part of the local entertainment crowd, specialized in presenting different types mobile throughout the season.
This Sunday’s drawing was made up of three figures. An archer shooting an arrow, which was carried by the fans until it stuck in a heart. The entire picture painted on the phrase “eternal love.” Towards Glorioso, of course, because towards Madrid neither eternal nor ephemeral. Thus, the chants began quickly against the visitors, comparing them from time to time with the ‘hired friends’ that José Luis Ábalos had allegedly been placing in different positions in the Administration.
The main target, in this case the entire stadium, was Raúl Asencio, to whom the ball arrived accompanied by a shower of whistles. Something common since his case of alleged revelation of secrets of a sexual nature, which is being resolved by the courts, hit the press. The central defender was already marked with billboards at the entrance of the stadium in Madrid’s last visit to Vitoria in April of this year, when Carlo Ancelotti was still occupying the white bench (in that case in a VIP box with stained glass windows and stoves as he was suspended) and the name of Xabi Alonso was mentioned in the press as a possible arrival and not the other way around.
On this occasion, under the direction of the Tolosarra, Madrid dominated, but beyond the whistles to the central defender, any timid approach by their team aroused the babazorra fans. After the twentieth minute, a nervous Coudet took off his gloves, whoever caught them, and Mbappé sprayed Sivera’s net two minutes later. “Madridistas sons of bitches,” now without euphemisms, resonated. After the relief, the whistles moved towards García Verdura, when the Alaves understood that there was an uncalled foul that preceded the Frenchman’s goal play and after cutting off a blue and white attack play when there were two balls on the field. They no longer abandoned him.
However, after the break the Alavés cheering crowd once again lifted the team’s spirits with a second performance. All dressed in blue and white dungarees, drawing several stripes they rose and crouched alternately to end by singing “Madridista el que no bot.” It seemed to work, and a few minutes later the tie came after the “only mistake” by the debutant Valdepeñas, in the words of Alonso, who praised the youth squad’s performance on the left side. The goal went up on the scoreboard preceded by the classic “this is how Madrid wins”, since García Verdura was about to disallow it for offside.
With Iraultza’s repertoire covered, Mendizorroza ended up desperate seeing his team unable to turn around Rodrygo’s goal. Toni Martínez asked for energy, but they would only have to a few to end up facing Courtoiswho argued with several fans from a distance, as he approached the corner where the Madrid fans were gathered to give their shirts. It remained between them, because, despite the victory, none of the Madrid players appeared in the mixed zone. It would be because of the cold.
