A promotion to First Division in the last second of extra time, from a penalty and after the VAR review. Impossible to find an outcome with more tension. Tears of happiness and bitterness in the Ciutat de Valencia stadium. Alavés returns to the first echelon of Spanish football after defeating Levante 0-1 in added time of a frantic tie. In the 121st minute, a rebound hit Rober Pier's arm on the edge of the Levante area. The hand was evident, but it was not clear if the player was inside or outside the box. The referee Hernández Maeso allowed the play to continue, while receiving the protests of the babazorro team players. From the VAR, Prieto Iglesias demanded that he review the images and after seeing the monitor, the referee ordered a penalty.

Nervousness took over the Levante stadium, which was silent for a moment. Asier Villalibre took the penalty and scored with a shot near the left post of the Femenías goal. There was still time for Levante to take a corner that was useless. Fiesta del Alavés, who a year later returns to First Division and accompanies Granada and UD Las Palmas in the elevator.

Sixth promotion of Alavés to Primera, a category in which he wants to feel comfortable for a long time. The work of coach Luis García Plaza and players like Rioja and Villalibre (new hero) have been essential to complete the challenge set at the start of the season. Now, with the increase in revenue from the box office, advertising and television rights, they hope to strengthen the squad so as not to go through difficulties.

Deportivo Alavés has shown that it knows how to suffer. Last night he faced Levante with which he had previous negatives. Levante, who had gone six consecutive games without losing, faced off for the fourth time this season against an opponent they had beaten three times and drawn once.. Some statistics that did not give Alavés a complex, and that the coach Luis García Plaza could not count on the injured Maras and Salva Sevilla. Antonio Blanco and Jesús Lázaro Owono did not play either, concentrated, respectively, with the Spanish sub'21 team, and with the Equatorial Guinea team.

Resurrection of the Basque team in a setting with disastrous memories. A year ago, at the home of Levante, he consummated the relegation to Second. Life, fortunately, turned upside down for a club that celebrated its centenary in the 2020-2021 season.

Levante, which at the beginning of the season was one of the strongest candidates for promotion, drowned on the same shore, after a campaign in which it has moved with ups and downs after the rupture of the growth process that the president had designed Quico Catalan. Levante is a club without an owner, because despite being a Sports Public Limited Company, the depositary of the majority shareholding is the Levante Foundation. The Board of Directors, highly questioned about the mistakes made, decided to bet everything on promotion in one season. An ordeal resolved in failure.

Croatia has many old acquaintances for Spanish football that threaten Spain in this second final of the League of Nations for Spanish football, but 'Supermario' Pasalic may be the Croatian surprise.

At 17, we all feel invincible, like nothing bad can happen to us.. And, if you come from becoming the young pearl of Croatian football after scoring 17 goals in a season with the Hadjuk Split subsidiary as a midfielder and on top of that they compare you with the local idol Luka Modric, well that feeling increases.

However, fate is capricious, and Mario Pasalic (Mainz, 1995) had to suffer it himself. When he was finally able to play for the Croatian first team, he was diagnosed with a staphylococcus infection that left him unemployed for almost six months.. A disease that causes rashes and abscesses that could make life very difficult for a professional footballer.

But 'Supermario', as he has been nicknamed, managed to overcome him and become an indispensable man in the Croatian team. The following season he scored 11 goals and that earned him a call up from Chelsea in July 2014.. “I'm very happy to be a Chelsea player,” he said at the time of his signing and revealed his predilection for Frank Lampard.

A happiness that would not become complete. Pasalic stayed on the shortlist of 30 players given by the Croatian coach Nico Kovac to attend the World Cup in Brazil that same year. However, the Croatian team would not pass the group stage after losing to Brazil and Mexico even if they beat Cameroon 4-0.

The incredible and disappointing thing for this player who, despite being a midfielder “has the goal in his veins”, is that he never played for Chelsea. Already the first season, 2014/15, he was transferred to the Spanish league. He played for Elche, where he was one of the best players in the Elche team: 31 games and 3 goals and the eighth most used player on the squad.

Since then, he has been loaned up to five times and played in four different leagues. In addition to the Spanish, he has gone through the Italian, Russian and French league. The Croatian began his emigration with the aforementioned Elche, followed by Monaco, then Milan, Spartak Moscow until he arrived in Bergamo in 2018.

Arrival at Atalanta

Pasalic in a match against Luka Modric's Real Madrid. EFE

“I like small cities more than big ones,” he said after joining the city team, an Atalanta who has several bittersweet records in Italian Calcio. For example, it is the team that has played the most seasons in the First Division without having won a Scudetto and has the record for Second Division championships together with Genoa, six.

Despite not having the sea, one of the Croatian's passions, Bergamo has fit like a glove in his life and Atalanta in his career. Pasalic has found his best version in the Italian team at the hands of Gian Piero Gasperini. Italian box to box football is precisely the specialty of this football emigrant.

In the five seasons he has played he has averaged 7.6 goals per year, although in 2021/22 he scored 13. He is one of the three Serie A midfielders to have scored two hat tricks along with Kaká and Ilicic.

Croatia

In the national team, in addition to being cut in the World Cup in Brazil, the same thing happened to him in Russia 2018. However, since Qatar he is a fundamental piece in Zlatko Dalic's plans. Pasalic has played 53 games for Croatia and has scored eight goals. The last one, the one that seemed to give victory to his team against the Netherlands in the first semifinal of this League of Nations.

Kramaric, Modric, Kovacic, Perisic, there are many names that threaten Luis De La Fuente's team in the second final of this newly minted tournament. However, Pasalic, 'Supermario' the emigrant, may be Croatia's silent weapon.

Croatia has many old acquaintances for Spanish football that threaten Spain in this second final of the League of Nations for Spanish football, but 'Supermario' Pasalic may be the Croatian surprise.

At 17, we all feel invincible, like nothing bad can happen to us.. And, if you come from becoming the young pearl of Croatian football after scoring 17 goals in a season with the Hadjuk Split subsidiary as a midfielder and on top of that they compare you with the local idol Luka Modric, well that feeling increases.

However, fate is capricious, and Mario Pasalic (Mainz, 1995) had to suffer it himself. When he was finally able to play for the Croatian first team, he was diagnosed with a staphylococcus infection that left him unemployed for almost six months.. A disease that causes rashes and abscesses that could make life very difficult for a professional footballer.

But 'Supermario', as he has been nicknamed, managed to overcome him and become an indispensable man in the Croatian team. The following season he scored 11 goals and that earned him a call up from Chelsea in July 2014.. “I'm very happy to be a Chelsea player,” he said at the time of his signing and revealed his predilection for Frank Lampard.

on loan at Elche

A happiness that would not become complete. Pasalic stayed on the shortlist of 30 players given by the Croatian coach Nico Kovac to attend the World Cup in Brazil that same year. However, the Croatian team would not pass the group stage after losing to Brazil and Mexico even if they beat Cameroon 4-0.

The incredible and disappointing thing for this player who, despite being a midfielder “has the goal in his veins”, is that he never played for Chelsea. Already the first season, 2014/15, he was transferred to the Spanish league. He played for Elche, where he was one of the best: 31 games, three goals and the eighth most used player on the squad.

Since then, he has been loaned up to five times and played in four different leagues. In addition to the Spanish, he has gone through the Italian, Russian and French league. The Croatian began his emigration with the aforementioned Elche, followed by Monaco, then Milan, Spartak Moscow until he arrived in Bergamo in 2018.

Arrival in Bergamo

“I like small cities more than big ones,” he said after joining the city team, an Atalanta who has several bittersweet records in Italian Calcio. For example, it is the team that has played the most seasons in the First Division without having won a Scudetto and has the record for Second Division championships together with Genoa, six.

Despite not having the sea, one of the Croatian's passions, Bergamo has fit like a glove in his life and Atalanta in his career. Pasalic has found his best version in the Italian team at the hands of Gian Piero Gasperini. Italian box to box football is precisely the specialty of this football emigrant.

Pasalic in a match against Luka Modric's Real Madrid. EFE

In the five seasons he has played he has averaged 7.6 goals per year, although in 2021/22 he scored 13. He is one of the three Serie A midfielders to have scored two hat tricks along with Kaká and Ilicic.

Eight goals in 53 games

In the national team, in addition to being cut in the World Cup in Brazil, the same thing happened to him in Russia 2018. However, since Qatar he is a fundamental piece in Zlatko Dalic's plans. Pasalic has played 53 games for Croatia and has scored eight goals. The last one, the one that seemed to give victory to his team against the Netherlands in the first semifinal of this League of Nations.

Kramaric, Modric, Kovacic, Perisic, there are many names that threaten Luis De La Fuente's team in the second final of this newly minted tournament. However, Pasalic, 'Supermario' the emigrant, may be Croatia's silent weapon.

200 meters to go. Fernando Alonso was about to improve his lap and move into second position on the grid behind Max Verstappen when the Montreal semi-urban circuit was tinged with red flags and qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix came to a standstill.. Oscar Piastri, embedded against a wall, was the culprit. The loss of a place was the consequence for the Spaniard. Nothing serious. Despite this problem, after the incomplete lap, Alonso will start third this Sunday (8:00 p.m., DAZN) behind Verstappen and Nico Hulkemberg.

Qualifying in Montreal was the strangest of the year, marked by rain. First, due to its absence, because in Q2 the dry tires were used and that harmed those who placed it late, including Checo Pérez, Charles Leclerc and Lance Stroll.. And then due to the appearance of a violent storm that sentenced Q3. Most of the drivers could only do one good lap and the three drivers who started the fastest on the track, Verstappen, Hulkemberg and Ocon, were the only ones to complete two.. The first two took the front row and Ocon finished sixth behind Alonso, third, and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

Then the Piastri accident forced the activity to be suspended and when all the cars returned to the track there was already so much water, so much, so much water, that you could only survive. Impossible to roll fast. Verstappen took his fifth pole of the season, Hulkemberg celebrated in style -his best position on the grid since 2010- and Alonso had to settle for a third position that could have been more. “It has been a difficult qualy, it was difficult to know which tires to use at all times,” he commented, although he also valued the advantage: “Third position is good. We have to put pressure on the Red Bulls. I hope to be two seconds behind Max and not 20 seconds.”.

With the two Ferraris practically eliminated -Carlos Sainz finished eighth, but with the threat of suspension-, with 'Checo' Pérez forced to come back again and with Lance Stroll far behind, he is a clear candidate for the podium and even victory if Verstappen suffers any problem. The threat for the Spaniard will be those Mercedes that already surpassed him in Barcelona and that start right behind.

The friendly match against racism between Brazil and Guinea played at Espanyol's Stage Front Stadium experienced a new racist episode in its run-up. According to a portal of the Brazilian group O Globo, Felipe Silveira, a friend and adviser to Vinicius, was approached by a member of the security team who, after taking a banana out of his backpack, snapped at him “hands up, this is my gun to you”.

Both Silveira himself and his companions clashed with that member of the venue's security team and quickly contacted the law enforcement to report the act, while they tried to get the alleged perpetrator out of the Cornellà stadium..

Something that, ultimately, would have been prevented by the members of Vinicius's team. As soon as the game is over, his intention is to file a formal complaint with the police for these events and demand that the images collected by the security cameras be also analyzed.

black uniform

After emphasizing their deep rejection of any act related to racism and pointing out that the club has limited itself to giving up the venue, sources from RCD Espanyol pointed out that, after contacting the organization, they were told that the security company denied having any record of it. of the facts denounced.

During this friendly, the five-time world champion has worn a completely black uniform for the first time in its history. A symbolic gesture framed in the campaign of the Brazilian Confederation (CBF) to condemn racial discrimination in sport. After the insults received by Vinicius on May 21 at Mestalla, the CBF continues to be very aware of this case, which even deserved the censure of the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The Spanish rider Jorge Martín (Ducati-Pramac) won the sprint race of the MotoGP German Grand Prix, the seventh round of the season, held this Saturday on the Sachsenring circuit, ahead of the Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), who continues to lead the World Cup in the category. Australian Jack Miller (KTM) completed the podium this Saturday.

Thanks to his victory, Martín, who acknowledged having “enjoyed a lot”, provisionally regains second place overall in the World Championship, which was in the hands of the Italian Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati-VR46), who could only be seventh.

Sixth on the grid in the sun after a rainy morning, 'Martinator' passed polesitter Bagania on the fourth lap of 15 in this sprint race. “Jorge was the fastest today, it was very difficult to keep up with him”, recognized Bagnaia, who nevertheless was “happy to be second”.

With 119 points, Martín is 21 behind Bagnaia (140). “I really enjoyed those laps, I was going to the limit”, recognized the winner of the day. Martín will look for a new victory in the premier class on Sunday at the German GP to add to the one achieved at the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix, when he was a 'rookie' (newcomer in the category).

The Márquez brothers, for their part, were 8th and 11th. Alex finished ahead of his brother Marc, who this morning in qualifying had crashed three times before taking seventh on the starting grid.. The Aprilia rider, Aleix Espargaró finished ninth in this race that precedes the Grand Prix.

The clash ended even at the end of regulation time (38-38) and the Germans prevailed on penalties (2-1).

The hero of Magdeburg, who was returning to the 'Final 4' of the handball Champions League after nine years of absence, was their goalkeeper Mike Jensen, who saved penalties taken by Hampus Wanne, Dika Mem and Ludovic Fabregas.

Magnus Saugstrup signed the penalty that qualified Magdeburg for the final on Sunday, against French Paris Saint-Germain or Polish Kielce.

Barça could not emerge victorious from the penalty shootout, which was precisely where they managed to win the final last year against Kielce.

In any case, Barça is the outstanding leader of the competition's list of winners, with 11 titles, six more than the second, the German Gummersbach, which has five -the last of them in 1983-.

Magdeburg aspires to win its fourth Champions League, after those achieved in 1978, 1981 and 2002.