Real Murcia 1 Cadiz 1

What is it about football? The suffering, the disappointments, the games where nothing goes your way, the boredom, the referees, the diving, the playacting, the cold wet Wednesdays, the miles and miles after an away defeat, relegations, those bastards who mock your following a lesser side, the Monday mornings, the deflected goal against.....but there are moments, rare but special, when the goal repays you in full, and makes all the suffering pale into insignificance. Today I had one such moment.

Real Murcia played a decent first half, threatened to score a few times, and were basically untroubled by a rather unambitious Cadiz side. Then, it seemed that either we were tired, or satisfied also with a draw, but they became slow and conformist, and Cadiz seemed to realize that they were being offered a chance to win. And so, in the 70th minute, after missing a great chance a few minutes earlier, Cadiz took the lead with a deflected shot that was going wide, hit a defender, and went in. They could have extended the lead as Real Murcia pushed forward in numbers....and they wasted time at every opportunity, the referee inexplicably only adding 4 minutes despite 6 substitutions and Cadiz's physio coming on 4 or 5 times, plus the time wasted taking fouls and throw-ins. Jose Gonzalez's clown antics, persistantly being out of his technical area, even on the pitch, antagonised the crowd, the ref wasting more time to chat with him. It looked like all was lost as the 94'th minute came and went. But then.....the goal.

Jorge Molino, signed from Atletico Madrid in the summer, had impressed in his 2 or 3 games at the start of the season, the club had high hopes for him, looked a very good signing for the future, but he was injured (I think at San Andres in the Cup) and has been out for 4 long months. He came on with around 10 minutes remaining....but all Murcia were doing was lumping long balls up to Cadiz's area.....all seemingly lost. The last chance......the ball arrived at Molino's feet....94 minutes+....time stood still..."just feckin hit it" screamed the crowd...but no, with class, with sang froid, he saw the keeper off his line, and cooly curled the ball over and into the corner of the net.

The goal is the maximum in football, and the goal when all is lost in such an important game is maximum plus. I can say it is the best goal scored at the New Condomina in it's short history (since 2006). To share it with my long suffering amigos was great, but most of all to turn and see my 8 year-old son screaming and going crazy, jumping onto me....unforgettable. Yer sheep just don't know what that feels like......

Real Murcia:
Alberto
Mario Marín (Jorge Molino 76') - Gotor - Iván Amaya - Óscar Sánchez
Aguilera - Albiol - Pedro (Isaac 58') - Cañadas
Aquino (Kike 66') - Chando.

Cádiz:
Dani
Cifuentes - Álvaro Silva - Baquero - Raúl López
Álvaro Jurado - Josemi (Fran Cortés 65') - Enrique (Velasco 52') - Carlos Caballero
López Silva (Jose Serrano 77') - Pachón.

Goals:
0-1 Cifuentes 71'
1-1 Jorge Molino 94'

Attendance : 7.757

Referee : The terrible Mr. Ortiz Blanco. Followed the game at great distance, was slow, lethargic, let Cadiz get away unpunished with consistent rotational fouling. Overall a poor referee.

So miraculously we keep Cadiz 8 points away....and Sevilla B managed to lose at Yeclano! Can't ask for more than that, can we?



Photo : Jorge Molino. Fingers crossed he can keep fit, as he is like a new signing.