Boxing Day Classic

D. Garrido, Á. de Prado, J. Saborido, A. Blanco, P. Castelo, F. López, F. López Sr., M.  Rguez Terés, J. Silveira;
Julio, J. Pérez, C. Montaño, A. Alonso, J. López, S. Fdez, R. Rguez.

Following the tradition of British football, ESO 4 students and teachers clashed on the astroturf pitch on the UVigo campus in a thrilling Boxing Day Classic Match that will go down into history books and football records as The Battle of Lagoas-Marcosende.

If in the year of our Lord 1314 patriots of Scotland, starving and outnumbered, charged the fields of Bannockburn, Labor teachers, overweight and breathless, played like warrior poets and outclassed their spirited young pupils before a passionate attendance of just 5 people (4 sons and a wife, actually). 

The youngsters' pace and energy was masterfully dodged by yet another unrivalled, magnificent, world-class display of tic-tac football. As a result of the prowess, skills and talent shown by the teachers team, the students were comprehensively trashed by many goals to few.

International football pundits agree that the teachers' performance last Boxing Day places them in the top ranks of history football, among the likes of 1970 Pele's Brazil, 1974 J. Cruyff's Holland (The Clockwork Orange), 1990  Arrigo Sacchi's Milan, 1998 Mostovoi's RC Celta, or 2010 Del Bosque's Spain: refinement, grace and beauty in movement, elegant exactness and precision... sheer class and style at its best.

J. Pérez, D. Garrido, F. López Sr., P. Castelo;
F. López, J. Saborido, J. Silveira, M. Rguez. Terés

A. Blanco, Julio, R. Rodríguez;
C. Montaño, A. Alonso, J. López, S. Fdez.

After just 10 minutes the teachers had slammed home 4 goals thanks to clinical finishes by F. López Sr., D. Garrido, twice, one of them with a lovely chip over the helpless goalie, and J. Saborido, who placed the ball at the top right-hand angle of the goal with a brilliant, remote-controlled swerve.

The students' team, led by A. Blanco's strength and assisted by former boy J. Silveira, tried powerlessly to score, but all to no avail, due to Castelo, Piñeiro (aka Kaiser Beckenbauer) and F. López Sr. superb performance. However, on the few occasions they did manage to evade the defenders, Á. de Prado denied them with brilliant, top-class goalkeeping (on the trail of R. Zamora, Lev Yashin, L.M. Arkonada or I. Casillas to name just a few) to keep a clean sheet for many, many minutes.

When it was crystal clear for both players and fans (in fact most of the attendance abandoned their positions in the stands to engage in a kick-around on the adjacent pitch) which team would clinch the match, the teachers depressed the throttle, slowed down and started toying with their students, who took advantage of their opponents' relaxation and scored a few goals which did not endanger the result on the scoreboard at all.

The match was closed with an awesome long-distance, quick-witted strike by goalkeeper Á. de Prado which hit his rivals' crossbar viciously, an effort which undoubtedly deserved better luck. 

After the match had finished, Manuel Rguez. Terés was unanimously elected as Man of the Match, a truly deserved recognition thanks to his pace, power, stamina and graceful, gifted performance, only comparable to those by Pelé, Maradona or Messi.

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