(Reblogged from The Guardian)
Celta’s Cat of Catoira denies RCD A Coruña
to become the king of Galicia
Sergio Álvarez Conde, in only his 30th league game in 15 years at the club, kept out a late RCD A Coruña penalty to earn Celta the bragging rights in a derby that has been a rarity in recent years
Joaquín Larrivey scored the winning goal for Celta Vigo against RCD
A Coruña in the Galician derby. Photograph: Salvador Sas/EPA
“I held on as long as I could.” Sergio Álvarez Conde was talking about the moment, but this was more than a moment. He’d held on, all right: longer, much longer, than it looked. It was the 88th minute of the Galician derby, Celta de Vigo versus RCD A Coruña, and it was coming up to midnight on Tuesday night. Sergio stood on the goalline at Balaídos, staring at the ball on the penalty spot, mentally going over his study notes. Behind it stood Haris Medunjanin. Celta led 2-1. They had been two minutes from a huge victory, one they needed, but now it seemed they were about to be denied. Sergio waited. He didn’t go early, he didn’t move. He held on. And then, suddenly, he flew left and pushed the penalty past the post.