“After the final whistle of Rayo Vallecano’s 3-0 Conference League quarter-final first leg win over AEK Athens on April 9, almost the entire crowd of 14,000 stayed behind in the stands for over 15 minutes to sing and celebrate together. Rayo’s players and coaches remained on the pitch to share a joyful connection with fans whose support had helped the team overwhelm their Greek opponents. Most of those present eventually headed home, or to the many neighbourhood bars in the working-class Madrid suburb of Vallecas that gives the club its name. But others stayed behind to form queues outside the stadium, with some fans camping out overnight to secure a ticket for the second leg. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
Rayo Vallecano, the eccentric European semi-finalists who only sell paper tickets
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“IT’s always entertaining to watch Diego Simeone on the touchline at an Atlético Madrid game; he’s a human jack-in-the-box, a black-clad octopus who resembles a rabid director of inner-city traffic. For 15 years, Simeone has been the driving force behind the club’s graduation from Real Madrid and Barcelona’s wing men to contenders for silverware. In his time, they have won two league titles, the Copa del Rey and two Europa Leagues, not to mention reaching two Champions League finals. In 14 seasons, Atlético have never finished below fifth and that was in Simeone’s first half-season in charge. …”
“The last time Elche were a top-flight side, they were flirting with unwanted records. In 2022-23 — their centenary year — they finished 12 points adrift at the bottom of the table, cycled through six different managers, and went 19 games without a win to get the season underway. Only two teams have ever made a worse start. But two years away from the limelight looks to have done Elche good, with a rebuilt squad and new approach under coach Eder Sarabia. He has taken them back to the top tier with a distinct brand of possession football, and it was only defeat to Alaves before the international break that prevented them from becoming the first newly-promoted side in Spanish top-flight history to go unbeaten in their opening eight games. …”
Scissors Kick 