Quick story. This weekend, Deportivo la Coruna were at home to Almeria. Depor (as they are known) are something of an anomaly in the Spanish first division as they're a club run on sound financial lines - they generally show a profit and have a chairman who isn't a billionaire gangster with a napolean complex. As a result, they've always effectively been handicapped, have pretty much never won anything and the bigger clubs in the league tend to treat them in a condescending way.
This year, Depor are struggling. They're one point above the relegation places and have scored less goals than all the teams currently
in the relegation places. So being 1-0 down to Almeria in the 94th minute, with all the teams below them picking up points, things looked bleak.
Then, in the 94th (and last) minute, Depor earn a corner. Alaverez swings it in and Dani Aranzubia scores with a header. The depor fans throw a fit, the stadium commentator shouts 'gooooooooaaal' for fully
five minutes .
So what, you think? A late goal, that happens. A team in trouble grabs a lifeline, that happens too. But not this.
This hasn't happened before. At least, not in Spain. Dani Aranzubia is Depor's goalkeeper and never before in the entire history of the Spanish league has a goalkeeper scored from open play. Yes, they've scored penalties but never from a header. Never in the 94th minute. Never when their club so desperately needed it.
needless to say, Aranzubia was quite pleased....
So no matter how many cups Barcelona or Real Madrid may win, no matter how many millions they fritter on players, no matter how they look down on the likes of Depor, Depor now have something they can never have. Thanks to Dani Arazubia, Depor are in the record books at last and nobody can ever take it away from them. What's the Spanish for "football eh? Bloody hell!"
