Goals, prestigious victories, dismissals and even titles. The weekend that led us to March also left us Spanish protagonists in every corner of the planet soccer. From Africa, where Juan Carlos Garrido debuted with victory on the bench of Wydad Casablanca, to New Zealand, where the Auckland City of José Manuel Figueira started the Oceania Champions League scoring in Fiji.
Mariete y Canillas, gold goals in silver categories
The Spanish goal continues to be common in foreign leagues throughout Europe. In Ligue 2 (French Second Division) the name of Mario Gonzalez, who took advantage of a new ownership with Clermont to score a double in the victory by the minimum (1-2) against Nancy. The Burgos striker, former Villarreal B, has given his team six points in the last three league games, as he also scored the winning goal in Lorient (0-1) 15 days ago. Pascal Gastien's are fifth, in positions of 'play-off' promotion to First.
Is also on a roll George Quills, who since his arrival as a loan to SV Horn, of the Austrian Second Division, does not know what it is to play an unmarked match. The Malaga-born striker owned by SV Ried debuted by rescuing a draw against Austria II and this weekend went beyond signing a hat-trick against Floridsdorfer. His team tied (3-3) and could not take all three points, but the goal, salvation, continues to be only two points.
Igor Angulo and Jesús Jiménez also carry the goal in their blood and both were again essential for a new victory of Górnik Zabrze at home. The miners chain four wins at home and already have seven margin points over the relegation zone. Before Pogon it was Jirka who opened the scoring. Angulo signed 2-0 and assisted Jiménez in his team's third goal. Between the two Spanish soccer players they have signed 66% of Górnik's scores in Ekstraklasa this season (20/30).
LKS Lodz also struggles to avoid the descent, which at the last minute got a point in the Arka field. Charles Moors, who returned to play the entire game in the center of the rear, extended the ball with which the Portuguese Ricardo Guimaraes managed to make the 1-1 in the 94th minute. Antonio Domínguez also played the entire game; Samu Corral entered in '68.
Like Lodz, Gabala is also a player in his league, who managed to end four days without winning after defeating Zira 1-2. The premises were ahead, but Galician Fernán Ferreiroá began to trace the path of the comeback 10 minutes from the end. Muradov, on the verge of the end, made the 1-2 that leaves the northerners just four points away from salvation in the First Division of Azerbaijan.
2,000 kilometers from Gabala is Cyprus, a new football destination for David Caneda. Hours after his presentation as a new coach of AEK Larnaca, the Spanish debuted on the yellow bench and did so with a meritorious victory in the field of Anorthosis, who still did not know the defeat at home this season. Cinnamon gave ownership to seven compatriots -Toño Ramírez, José Manuel Fernández, Abraham González, Mikel González, José Naranjo, Carles Planas and Joan Truyols-, although it was a Macedonian, Iván Trickovski, who signed both AEK goals during the match. If the Omonia wins the Nicosia derby, the first phase of the leading Cypriot First Division will end.
A title and three points in Malaysia
Good news almost always comes from Asia. This weekend, without going any further, five Spaniards conquered the Malaysian Super Cup with Johor FC, who defeated Kedah in a match that also counted as the first day of the Super League. Alicante midfielder Natxo Insa, goalkeeper coach Orkatz Martin, fitness coach Jorge Álvarez and doctors Antonio Manzanera and Antonio Gavilán put the Hispanic accent on a title that Johor has already won five times since his refoundation in 2013.
Johor FC celebrates its fifth Malaysian Super Cup.
Johor FC (Facebook)
It was also a great weekend for Fran Gonzalez, who, on penalty, converted his tenth goal of the season in the I-League with Mohun Bagan. Joseba Beitia also scored in a new victory for those of Kibu Vicuña, whose area was once again defended by Fran Morante. The Calcutta won 1-3 to TRAU FC and link 12 games without losing, which puts them leaders in the second category of Indian football with 13 points ahead of Punjab.
The Indian Super League is also in its final stretch, where the play-offs have already started for the title. The Bengaluru of Carles Cuadrat defeated the ATK of Antonio López Habas 1-0 in a match that measured two Spanish coaches who already know what it is to do with the tournament. Five Spanish soccer players -Dimas Delgado, Juanan González and Albert Serrán; Edu García and Javi Hernández- were starters in a match that ended 1-0 thanks to a lonely goal by Jamaican Deshorn Brown. Everything will be decided on March 8 in the second leg.
The weekend that led us to March also meant the return of Major League Soccer, which this season will feature eight Spanish soccer players although only four got the victory on the opening day: Miguel Berry, who did not enter the Columbus call Crew to receive New York City; Bojan Krkic, who started in Montreal's victory over NE Revolution, and Ilie Sánchez and Andreu Fontàs, whose team, Sporting Kansas City, won 1-3 in Vancouver. Pozuelo, who scored a penalty in the Toronto draw in San Jose, was the only Spaniard who saw goal.
Worst news comes from Ecuador, where Ángel López lost his position as coach of Delfín SC after falling as a local (1-2) in front of University Technician. Nor was the Emelec of Ismael Rescalvo, who lost 1-0 in Macará, nor the Miguel Ramírez Valley Independent, who succumbed at home against Olmedo.
Champion victories
Hours after being introduced as coach of the Wydad Casablanca, Juan Carlos Garrido he returned to the bench of the Mohammed V stadium – he sat in it during his stay at the Raja – and achieved a solvent victory in the quarterfinals of the African Champions League (2-0) against Étoile du Sahel, precisely the team that dismissed him in early February. Wydad, with a foot and a half in the semifinals of the Champions League, must close its classification on March 7 in Tunisia.
He also hopes to go far in his respective continental competition the Auckland City of José Manuel Figueira, which began his participation in the Champions League of Oceania by scoring 0-6 at the Ba of Fiji Islands. Madrid central Angel Berlanga started and Albert Riera watched the entire game from the bench. Eñaut Zubikarai, meanwhile, did not enter the meeting call.