Oscar Duarte (Catarina, 1989) is, together with Nikola Vukcevic Y Nemanja Radoja, of the few players of the I raised who has savored the triumph in the Cup. He did it in 2015, with Bruges. The Costa Rican analyzes the historic semifinal for AS.
What a night the other day …
The truth was that it was a different night. Something that will be difficult to forget. We are making history as a team, as a club, and that in the end is the most important thing. It is something that we will have a lifetime.
A historic semifinal for Levante.
This is a gift for everyone: for the players, coaching staff, management … We have to enjoy it. Making history is always difficult, especially in a competition of such a level. We have to be proud of what we are achieving.
They endured the tension until the last minute until Morales and Roger appeared.
Morales and Roger are very important players for the team. Having players like them is important for us because we know that at any moment they can make a difference. But this Cup the key has resided in the group. I believe that all my teammates have a key importance in the team. It has been shown that whoever plays is ready and will go out to fight for the team. The coaching staff has given everyone minutes and that is very important.
How was the celebration in times of pandemic?
We stayed in the field because we have to follow a protocol of the Federation and inside the stadium we could not all get together because it is prohibited due to the issue of the pandemic. So we had to celebrate outside. It was a little different, but you have to adapt to the situation we are experiencing. Perhaps we would have wanted it to be otherwise, but it played that way and we must respect the guidelines.
The party would have been round with an audience.
We discussed it with our teammates and we didn't even imagine what it would have been like to experience it with an audience in the stands. It would have been something spectacular. But I am sure that both they and we live it intensely. This is also a gift for all the fans who could not join us at the stadium.
Does Athletic impose?
He is a very difficult opponent. We know the good dynamics they are having both in the League and in the Cup. You can already see the hand of the coach, Marcelino. And, well, we are going to try to play a good game knowing that we have our return at the Ciutat and we also have to take advantage of that. We are working hard to arrive in the best way and try to get a good result in San Mamés.
You know what it's like to win a Cup in Belgium.
In Belgium I won the Cup and they are unique moments. I think that we players have to live this to the fullest because it is very difficult to reach a semi-final, reach a final … There is a lot of level here. It has great merit. When I won in Belgium it was incredible and we are going to work here to keep fighting and see how far we can go.
How is that experience transferred? In the talk prior to the extension he was very participatory.
They are things that when they are there, you have to take advantage of them and try to win because in football you never know when you will have a chance again. We were facing a very nice opportunity to make history and we were all involved. The union of the group that we have was seen and in the end that comes out to one.
You see a beloved guy in the locker room.
You always try to help, especially because of the experience and what you have lived through. If I can help my colleagues, the younger ones, trying to make sure that everything that one has learned serves them, it is important. In the end, the most important thing here is the team and the players know that if we all contribute, it is easier for things at the group level to go well.
There has been a lot of talk about defense. Paco López has defended them and has given each of them their space.
Each of us know that the most important thing here is Levante. We have all understood the coach's decisions. Our responsibility is to prepare well and, as we say, make it difficult for him so that when he makes the decision of who plays it is a bit more complicated in that sense. The truth is that we, the four defenders, get along very well and we are helping each other. That is very important too. When there is a partner who is working hard, it also helps one to improve. I think it has also been part of what the centrals are experiencing now.
How did the Covid happen? Then things have gone phenomenal.
I had a pretty good time. There was only one day that I had a high temperature, but the other days I did not have any symptoms thank God. That time also served me to train. Having no symptoms or anything, it helped me to continue training hard at home. And due to circumstances of life and football, after two training sessions, I had to play when Rubén (Vezo) tested positive. When you train hard and well, when you are given the opportunity you have to take advantage of it.
He has accumulated many, many minutes since then.
It is up to us to be prepared for when the opportunity comes. I spent ten days in my house locked up and unable to leave, training at home, which in the end is different. But I had the opportunity to play and above all to play games very closely. Every two or three days. All that helped me and thank God everything has gone well personally and in the group.
Many clubs have asked about his situation, but he has always opted to stay at Levante. After a night like the other day, I understand that it was worth it.
Exactly. In the end I have always tried not to go crazy. Everything in life costs and I am not one of the people who if he is not playing prefers to go somewhere else. No. I prefer to be more stable. Do my job, which is my job, which is to train and prepare well. In the end, the one who decides is the coach. But I've always wanted to be here. I hope to finish this year well with the team and we will see in the future.
Contract ends in June. How is your situation?
It ends in June and at the moment we have not spoken anything with the club regarding my continuity. All I want is to finish well, for things to go well for the team and then we will see if there is an approach or not. But the important thing is to continue along the same lines and finish well with the team.
It would be nice to round off the season with a final.
Yes, it would be very nice. I think you have to keep a cool head, think about the next tie and go little by little, as we have been doing. In the team that has been very present. We are not thinking further. We are taking things as they have to be and that has been part of the success we are having.