The Pride of Vallekas

11 minutes. 11 minutes decided the fate of three teams, who had competed over the entire season with ferocity and were all set for a nail-biting finish. In third, fourth, and fifth, heading into the final game of the season, Fuenlabrada, Rayo Majadahonda and Leioa were all on 60 points. The head-to-head records of the teams were pretty clear - Fuenlabrada would win any hypothetical matchup, and Rayo would win in a matchup against Leioa. Entering the 78th minute, Leioa were 2-0 down at Arenas, Rayo were 1-0 down at Barakaldo, and Fuenlabrada were winning 2-0 at already relegated Sestao River. Then all hell broke lose. Arenas scored in the 78th minute. Almost in unison, Leioa scored in the next minute, but so did Rayo - which meant Leioa had to win. In the 81st minute, Leioa scored and then four minutes later Leioa scored again. But it wasn't over. Aitor Córdoba was sent off, exposing the Leioa back line, and Arenas' Nacho Pérez scored to kill all hopes of a comeback....

They called him el ultrahéroe de Vallecas at Rayo. In hell, he was their ray of hope. Born in Madrid, Pachón started his career in the fifth division of Spanish football, playing for Rayo Alúa in the 1995-96 season. He went on to play for Parla in the Tercera for the following two season, and was signed by Segunda club Leganés. After helping the club retain their division two status, in 2000 he moved to La Liga outfit Real Valladolid. He would go on to play 31 games in his first year and 24 in the 2002–03 campaign, but only seven in the other two seasons combined. Failing to make an impact, he was released in January 2004 and moved to Segunda outfit Getafe, proving an essential offensive unit in the club's first ever promotion to the top division - on 19 June, he scored all five goals in the decisive 5–3 away win against Tenerife. He was mainly used as a substitute in the following three seasons and also helping the side to the 2007 final of the Copa del Rey. Immed...

After writing about  Diego Cascón  and his crazy story ( here ), I thought it might be worth a look at the other ten players who started in the Alcorcónazo. It’s a great quiz question: which lawyer has scored against Real Madrid, twice in the same match, whilst playing for a third tier team on a wage of less than 40,000 euros a year? Hint: this player has scored six goals past Real Madrid, yet has never played a game in La Liga. Poetically enough, he is a Real Madrid youth graduate. Answer?  Borja Pérez . In the 2003-04 Copa del Rey, Segunda outfit Leganés were up against Real Madrid in the round of 32. At the Butarque, Real Madrid were cruising - 2-0 up thanks to goals from Beckham and Raúl. In ten minutes, they were 3-2 down from two Borja Pérez goals and a Pavón own goal. In the 88th minute, midfielder Solari scored to equalize, and Raúl scored a 110th minute extra time goal to send Madrid through. Four years later, Segunda B outfi...

One of those days. And yes - that title is not clickbait. I wrote about the story of van Gaal reject Diego Cascón - a story that involves warding off the evil eye and slaying Real Madrid and Villarreal. It was published on 19Spains.com ( here ) and on BarcaBlaugranes.com ( here ).