It was a match with a classic aroma, of freshly cut grass, of dark leather balls. A meeting “made in Euskal Herria”, as the initial typo of San Mamés said, of two teams with similar proposals: intensity and determination. An electric current was unleashed in the Bilbao stadium as soon as Jon Rahm took the kick-off at the entrance to the locker room. But, while the volts revolutionized Athletic Club, Atlético was electrocuted. [Narrative and Statistics, 2-0]

Two sticks, a missed penalty and several heads-up. All in just 45 minutes. All from the team led by Ernesto Valverde. A bath, come on. Simeone's men tried to put the game to sleep with inane possession, while every time they lost the ball they got a spark from the red and white forward.

The Bilbao offensive was not three-phase but four-phase. The Williams, Sancet and Guruzeta did what they wanted with the mattress defense. This had a surprising presence, that of Söyüncü, who went through an ordeal culminated with a penalty that, fortunately for him, was missed by Sancet for wanting to adjust the squad too much.. Simeone saw him and took him out quickly at half-time for Giménez. Better known bad…. as the saying goes.

The one who did not pass it was Lino, but due to failure to appear on the line that is assumed when Atlético does not have the ball. The Brazilian still has to learn to play as a winger, in his mind he is a winger who supports, when he wants, the defender. Hermoso suffered a lot every time Iñaki Williams attacked him and Lekue hit him.

There was a great decompensation not only at the level of intensity, but also in positioning. Simeone's classic 5-3-2 was shipwrecked by Txingurri's 4-2-3-1. The red and white team entered through the interior corridors without anyone to harass them.. Atlético's midfielders saw themselves at a disadvantage against the waves launched mainly by Iñaki Williams and Sancet.

Simeone also saw it and, at half-time, the Argentine switched to 4-4-2, bringing on De Paul to help the hard-working Saúl, Koke and Llorente. There were 45 minutes left and the news for Atlético was hopeful: in their worst game of the season against a great rival, they returned from the dugout tied at zero goals.

Likewise, some were still electric and the others electrocuted. The intensity went through neighborhoods and those in green missed it. Maybe I had to see the amount of effort that Simeone's team had and that they had left before Christmas, four games in 10 days, a lot of fabric. This is not a calendar, it's a juicer.

And of course, if the Williamses find stiff players, they take the opportunity to pass them like cones. That's what Nico did to take a corner that would end with the first goal of the game. He took it himself, the ball ended up in the boots of his brother who eliminated two Atlético defenders as if they were planted on the grass, he unloaded on Herrera who tempered so that Guruzeta, more alone than anyone, finished off against a defenseless Oblak.

Oblak savior

Oblak complains about a play in the match against Athletic. ANDER GILLENEA AFP

The Slovenian, precisely, was the main person responsible for Simeone's team being only one goal down.. The saves he had made throughout the game were reminiscent of those times when his name was among the best goalkeepers in the world.. One at the base of the post to Guruzeta after a pass from Sancet in the early stages of the game was something to watch on a loop.

The timer had not marked 60 minutes when Simeone took out Memphis and Correa, removing Saúl and a surprised and surprising Griezmann. The Frenchman who this season ate at the table of the best in the world did not appear. Lots of gunpowder, but worse occupation of spaces. Athletic, delighted to take advantage of it on the counterattack, as they did.

In 64 he launched Lekue at Nico who cut Witsel and Hermoso out and left them in the mold and launched a remote-controlled missile to pierce Oblak's squad.. The only way to score against the Slovenian, because two minutes later his brother tried from the same position, but a little closer, and the goalkeeper responded with another iconic save at the base of the post.

Unai Simón did not want to stay behind his professional colleague and saved the peace of his team with a double hand 10 minutes from the end against a shot from Llorente, alone at the far post, and an unfortunate rebound from a defender who arrived to try cover. Quid pro quo.

As the statistics say and as Simeone lamented in the preview, the home team won the game. Athletic was better, but Atlético does not perform the same away from the Metropolitano. If only the home games counted, the rojiblancos would be leaders with eight wins from eight games, while away games they would barely be seventh in the table with only three wins in the same games.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 76, suffered a fall during a concert on Friday night in which he suffered a broken hip, according to his representative, Deborah Morales, without offering further details about his condition or the incident.

“Last night, while attending a concert, Kareem suffered an accidental fall and broke his hip,” the text noted.. “We are all deeply grateful for all the support for Kareem, especially from the Los Angeles Fire Department, who assisted Kareem at the scene, and the incredible medical team and doctors at UCLA Hospital who are taking such good care of Kareem now,” concluded the statement.

“My best wishes for a quick and complete recovery, Kareem,” Pau Gasol, another member of the Lakers Olympus, wished on Twitter.

Political activism

In his two decades of career in the NBA, Jabbar became one of the best players of all time and, off the court, he is also remembered for his activism in favor of social rights and against racism.

The center, 218 centimeters tall, won six championship rings, one of them with the Milwaukee Bucks (1971) and five with the Los Angeles Lakers between 1980 and 1988 alongside Magic Johnson in the era known as showtime.

Abdul-Jabbar, who retired in 1989 at the age of 42, was a six-time MVP and the league's all-time leading scorer (38,387 points) until LeBron James took the record from him in February.

Last season Raúl García (Pamplona, 1986) played 35 of the 38 games that Athletic Bilbao played in LaLiga. He only started six games, but if this 2023/24 season had managed to maintain a similar progression, next summer we would be talking about the player with the most appearances in the history of the First Division, which, today, Andoni Zubizarreta and Joaquín Sánchez share. with 622.

The Navarrese began 23/24 with 589 games in the highest competition of Spanish football. His performance in the eighth season in the Bilbao team, 2022/23, had facilitated a renewal that was supported by Ernesto Valverde, coach of the Bilbao team, with whom he maintained and maintains a magnificent relationship.. “He renews because he thinks he has earned it on the field,” explain sources close to the forward.

But the coach is not using him as much as other years, in only six games of the 16 played so far, all coming from the bench. Despite his 37 years of age, he has only missed one call-up due to a dorso-lumbar contusion, according to the club, in the match against Villarreal. The footballer did not expect to play too much, but he did expect a little more prominence.

However, Athletic's offense is working, mainly thanks to Iñaki Williams and Gorka Guruzeta, who have almost half of the Bilbao team's 31 goals, eight and seven respectively.. And the team is fifth, in European positions, with 29 points, tied with Real Sociedad, sixth. In football, unfortunately, the maxim that if something works, don't touch it usually prevails.. Likewise, those around them think that “the year is very long.”

“It's not going to drag”

“He is excited to beat the record and it continues to be one of his goals, but it is not an obsession,” close sources explain.. This season is already impossible. Even if he plays everything, there are 22 days left, the 595 duels he has had so far could rise to 617, five away from the magic number of Zubi and Joaquín.

Likewise, the life of Raúl García, that Cholo Simeone warrior for whom he played from 2012/13 to 2014/15, is that of a player who “does not give up in life”, they say from those around him.. Although: “He's not going to drag himself to get the record,” they complete.

The Navarrese has now been in the First Division for 20 seasons, “more games than I dreamed of when I was in Osasuna,” close sources say.. The same ones with which Joaquín reached the figure that Raúl aspires to. Although the Betic player has played 22 years, he spent two years outside of Spain playing for Fiorentina. However, Zubizarreta only needed 17 seasons to reach 622. “Everyone tells me to get it because it's something beautiful, but those things don't move me. My career is not going to change by getting 15 or 20 more games,” the Navarrese said at the beginning of the season in Lezama.

Ramos and Navas, the following

The only active players in the Spanish league close to Raúl García's games are the Sevilla players, Sergio Ramos and Jesús Navas, both with experiences abroad. The one from Camas has 514 participations while the one from Los Palacios has 484. They are in ninth and fourteenth place, respectively, on a list that includes Raúl González (4th), Eusebio Sacristán (5th) and Paco Buyo (6th).

Lionel Messi, in eighth place with 520 games, is, along with Ramos, the only one in the top 10 who is still playing. However, it seems difficult for La Pulga to return to Spain to play 103 more games.

This afternoon will be special for him. They face Atlético de Madrid, the team with which they have won seven of their eight titles. The last was the 2021 Spanish Super Cup with Athletic. However, with this year's season, Raúl García has played more seasons with Los Leones, nine, than with Atlético, seven.

With no plans to abandon the Bilbao discipline, Raúl plans to continue playing but not because he is going to “crowd for the record”, as they say from those around him, but for the game that he fell in love with when he was a child and for which he gives his all every time. time he goes out onto the field to defend his team's colors.

A duel with hints of the end, but decaffeinated. Valencia and Barça face each other at Mestalla immersed in their own wars, on and off the field, and with an overwhelming difference in quality on the pitch that is only matched by Xavi's team's desire to walk the line. Heads or tails, the matches are always open and the culés know that Mestalla is transforming to become the reinforcement that Baraja needs while Singapore denies it.

Valencia has accumulated four games without winning and, in the last two, they have not even created a scoring chance. That means that since the 1-0 victory against Granada, from a penalty, the team has only added the point from the tie against Celta. He lives on the 19 that keep him in the middle of the table. These are the same numbers that the season obtained at this point under the direction of Gattuso. After a hopeful start, Valencia began to show symptoms after the break for the Qatar World Cup, and reached matchday 16 with 19 points. Then is where it started to fail.. They lost against Cádiz, Real Madrid and Valladolid and Almería drew a draw at Mestalla. These are results that could happen again and would lead the team to a difficult moment.. Barça is followed by a visit to Vallecas and, after the Christmas break, Marcelino and his Villarreal will pass through Valencia. Three complicated games.

There is another similarity that is even more worrying: there will be no reinforcements in January. Only if there is a departure of players with fewer minutes will some adjustment in the form of a loan be studied. The name of Real Madrid youth player Peter Federico is on the agenda. But nothing else. “We don't have a budget,” President Layhoon Chan told shareholders.

“I can't waste energy on that”

Baraja already knows it. Their squad is weak, especially after Gayà's injuries and the suspensions of Paulista and Javi Guerra, three essentials in their eleven. «The staff is fair in number, I have always said it, and also in competition so that everyone's performance is higher. But if it's not possible economically… I can't waste energy on that,” the coach resigned.

Peter Lim does not authorize a single more expense and, furthermore, he sees no risk of relegation. “The largest shareholder does not believe that there is a risk of Valencia going down to Second Division,” the president insisted, even knowing how close they came last season.. That's what the fans think about, that they will meet before the game, once, to protest. This concentration will not overshadow the tribute that the club will pay to David Silva, a former Valencia player and Baraja's locker room partner who will have his canvas on the Mestalla façade.

Xavi's discomfort

It was also the same for Xavi in the national team, but the Barça coach is not there for celebrations. If there is a weapon that works in favor of Valencia, it is the pressure that grips Barça after losing to Girona and in the Champions League.. «A month ago I was going to be Barça's Ferguson and now I'm on the street. “The club needs stability, especially in the post-Messi era and in a very complicated economic situation,” he recalled.. “In LaLiga we are not where we should be, we need points, but things are being done very well and I think we are halfway to making a great Barça,” he said.

Far from the rotations that surprised against Antwerp, Xavi recovers his eleven, with De Jong and the only doubt of whether to bet on Raphina or Ferran's extra motivation to return home.

Olimpia Milano dominated from start to finish at the Palau to inflict Barcelona's first defeat at home since January 13. From that setback against Efes to a new disappointment against Ettore Messina's team, which appeared without the injured Nikola Mirotic and Billy Baron. The fourth in the last five games for the Blaugrana, without resources to stop Devon Hall (21 points) and Nicolo Melli (16), decisive in the last quarter. [Narrative and statistics (86-90)]

The absence of Mirotic, who had relapsed from his injury to the Achilles tendon in his left foot that already sidelined him during the first half of last year, did not weigh on the Italian team, very focused all night despite the three consecutive defeats that had been relegated to the penultimate place in the table. “It was a matter of heart, attitude and greater discipline. We played simpler, so I feel very happy with the team's performance,” Messina said.

The visitors intimidated from the beginning, with great success from the perimeter (5 of 8 in triples) that led to a 12-27 in just eight minutes. The hot wrist of Shavon Shields (17 points at halftime, including five triples) made the Barça fans numb, deprived of Jabari Parker, who was out at the last minute due to gastroenteritis.

Same as before the Virtus

Roger Grimau's second timeout (30-43, min.15) did not alter the landscape either (40-51, half-time). Too static, Barça fueled with a dropper when they were able to connect with Willy Hernangómez or Nico Laprovittola (10 points both in the first half). The bad feelings of nine days ago in Bologna were repeated at the Palau.

After the break, Barça tightened its defenses to get within 59-63, although Diego Floccadori and Stefano Tonut prevented the comeback from being completed (59-68).. In that stretch, errors in free throws weighed too heavily on the locals.

Despite repeated interruptions from the referees, Barça maintained the physical standard and found Darío Brizuela and Jan Vesely in attack (71-77, min.38). However, five consecutive points from Hall, including a great triple, added to a 2+1 from Melli, raised the bar definitively. Nikola Kalinic, with a good contribution from the bench, incomprehensibly lost a clear three-point option when the ball slipped through his hands. The final point in the Palau.

On Tuesday, Víctor Francos attended an event by the Spanish Athletics Federation in which he spoke about the future of Spanish sport, the Paris Olympic Games and the expectations for the event.. He did it naturally and with enthusiasm, not with the melancholy of someone who thinks about a different future.. On occasions, people present perceived that his status at a meeting was not adequate, but this did not prevent him from being ratified in office 12 days ago by Minister Pilar Alegría.. The future he was talking about, in his case, was linked to sport. Yesterday, Thursday, a brief statement from the Higher Sports Council (CSD) announced his resignation as Secretary of State for Sports to start new professional projects. The surprise shook the offices of the federations, clubs and leagues. What had happened in those 48 hours?

Between one day and the other, on Wednesday, the name of Víctor Francos appeared during an interview conducted by the youtuber Alvise Pérez with Luis Rubiales. Specifically, Pérez stated that there was a recording in which the Secretary of State had insulted Queen Letizia.. “You remember hearing Víctor Francos say that Queen Letizia is a…”. At that moment, Rubiales interrupted the question: “I'm not going to say, nor am I going to get into lawsuits or more trouble or stories.”. “He will know what he said when he spoke about the Queen and if anyone wants to denounce him, they should denounce him.”. “I don't have any audio of him,” he clarifies, but “I know perfectly what he said and what he didn't say.”. And he also knows how he referred to it and to whom.”

The youtuber implies not only that these audios exist, but that he has heard them and they could be in his possession. He clarifies that without the authorization of the source they cannot be published, but from the interview it could be deduced that they are in circulation. Whether or not the talk was part of a strategy, what does seem clear is that it is a warning to sailors, now that Rubiales, already displaced from football, considers himself betrayed by many of those he believed to be on his side, as was the case of francs. Also by Pedro Rocha, whom he chose to pilot a transitional period that could be definitive and now does not respond to his calls. The origin of the alleged recording is not revealed in the interview with Pérez, a YouTuber and social media actor positioned on the extreme right and whom Rubiales has chosen to launch his messages.

Víctor Francos unexpectedly announces his resignation from the presidency of the Higher Sports Council EL MUNDO WARNING FROM THE MINISTER

In the CSD environment there are those who maintain that Francos had some inappropriate appearances, and that for this reason he would have been advised by the minister. In this context, an accusation that would not be believed can create doubt, and there are doubts that cannot be lived with in politics.. Much less the Government of Pedro Sánchez, at a time of extremely high sensitivity due to the amnesty negotiations. In that context, an insult to a member of the Crown would be dynamite.

The existence of recordings of conversations made in the Federation environment is neither new nor surprising, although those in Rubiales' environment say they do not know anything about that audio.. In fact, it all started with the president's own recordings published by 'El Confidencial', after his telephone files were hacked.. This same Government verified how it had already recorded one of its ministers, the late José Guirao. Recordings were even made by other Federation employees in meetings outside the Las Rozas Football City facilities.. Francos spent many hours with the Federation leadership on the occasion of the Women's World Cup final in Sydney, both in the stadium and on the return trip, between drinks for the title and tension due to the kiss crisis.

SURPRISE IN THE OFFICES

Neither the CSD nor Francos nor anyone in the Government have commented in detail about the resignation, nor have the affected person announced, for the moment, actions against whoever has accused him of insulting the Queen.. Among the senior sports officials who have worked at his side, no one knew his intentions, fully involved and until dawn in the search for an agreement for the crisis of women's football, and executive in the project to modify the electoral rules of the federations with the intention of seeking a “more direct and less interposed democracy that puts an end to clientelism,” according to what he told this newspaper a few months ago. In recent days, he had even spoken in favor of Rocha's possible continuity, given his good availability and the lack of football mobilization.. The negotiation of the 2030 World Cup venues was another of the missions in which he had to mediate.

Francos and Rubiales, in Madrid, during the World Cup celebration. AFP

A man of the PSC, he made the leap to Madrid with the help of Salvador Illa, who appointed him director of his cabinet during his time as Minister of Health. Later, another minister from the nursery of the Catalan socialists, Miquel Iceta, elevated him to the rank of Secretary of State for Territorial Policy and Public Function.. When Iceta moved to Culture and Sports, he took Francos and put him in charge of the Secretary of State for Sports, six months ago, on June 16. The move from Sports to the ministry headed by Pilar Alegría opened a period of waiting for its continuity, a time in which Franco used his influences to continue. He got it 12 days ago.

The departure of Francos at a key moment in his career, at the age of 44, leaves a void in key circumstances for Spanish sport: the Paris Games, the development of the 2030 World Cup and the elections in the Football Federation, among others. The Government must look for a name, for which, yesterday, some federations were betting on Félix Jordán, at the head of the CSD Youth Sports Foundation. The Sánchez Government must carefully consider the appointment of a Secretary of State that it has not been able to consolidate and through which, since 2018, María José Rienda, Irene Lozano, José Manuel Franco and Víctor Francos have passed. Four in five years. Too many in a sport with too many intrigues.