The return of Juan Ferrando. In 2017, Greek businessman Georgios Spyridopoulos acquired Pydna Kitros and created a new club in the city of Volos. He hired Juan Ferrando as a coach and bet on a gradual growth based on young players from the area. The Volos NFC He debuted in Third Party in 2017, but nobody imagined that, just two years later, his place would be in the Greek Super League. Ferrando achieved two promotions in a row And he became the longest-serving coach in Greek football, but his success story took a 180-degree turn in December 2019, when he contracted a bacteria that caused him to lose his vision. Unable, the Barcelona native was forced to leave his position as Volos coach and return to Spain for treatment. But when a door closes, a window opens. He managed to recover and this weekend, almost 12 months after his most traumatic experience, he returned to the benches to lead FC Goa in the most Spanish Indian Super League in recent years. The story of Juan Ferrando continues.
Osaka, with Lotina and Palanco. In the absence of six days for the completion of the J-League (First Division of Japan), Cerezo Osaka by Miguel Ángel Lotina and assistant Iván Palanco is sixth, six points from the Champions places. The club's management, unsatisfied with the results achieved in recent days – the team has only won three of its last 11 games -, informed the Spaniards that they will not continue to lead the pink club next season, a decision that did not sit well among the fans of the Japanese club. Before, during and after the defeat (0-1) against Hiroshima, the Yanmar Nagai Stadium was flooded with messages in support of Lotina and Palanco. “Lotina 2021” or “Lotina and Iván, don't leave us,” could be read on some of the banners. Cerezo Osaka has the eighth lowest budget in the J-League and its sporting performance is well above that of other clubs with greater economic power such as Vissel Kobe, which is why Japan is crying out against the ownership of Cerezo Osaka.
Borja Valle explodes against Dinamo. The 'Spanish' Dinamo goes through its worst institutional moment –the president, Pablo Cortacero, still does not make the promised payments– but the pride of the players shines on the pitch. Thus, the dogs, who accumulated seven games without winning, managed to beat Voluntari 3-0 on the 11th day of League 1 (Romanian First Division). Three Spaniards -Tomás Mejías, Isma López and Juan Cámara- were headlines, although it was Borja Valley, who started the game on the bench, who ended up deciding the match. The Ponferradino gave an assist and scored two goals, in whose celebrations he expressed his discomfort at the situation the club is going through. “Caradura,” he later wrote on social media. Next Saturday, Dinamo Bucharest will face Viitorul Constanta of Rubén de la Barrera.
José Ángel Jurado, the Spaniard who guided Bodo / Glimt. Bodo / Glimt achieved the first Eliteserien (Norwegian First Division) in their history, thus becoming the northernmost club to win a top European competition. The yellow entity does not have this season with any Spanish footballer in its squad, but Jose Angel Jurado, current player of Cartagena, can feel part of the feat. After leaving Almería in December 2017, Jurado signed for a Glimt who, at that time, was competing in Second. The Spaniard became the helm that led the team to sweep the OBOS-ligaen -in 30 days they reaped 22 wins, five draws and three defeats, which led them to finish the season 16 points above the second classified-. The fans even chose him as the best player of a season in which the club achieved its return to the elite. The rest is history.
The crazy batch that put Oriol Rosell in the semis. The play-offs for the Major League Soccer title started with a bizarre penalty shoot-out between Orlando City and New York City. After the tie (1-1) with which the 90 minutes and extra time ended, both teams played the pass from eleven meters. The Peruvian Pedro Gallese, Orlando goalkeeper, stopped Castellanos' launch, but the VAR determined that he had gone ahead and the referee sent him off after showing him the second yellow – he saw the first in extra time. Defender Rodrigo Schlegel got under sticks and stopped the final shot, becoming Orlando's great hero. What is striking is that, according to the new regulations, Gallese should not have been sent off because “the warnings and reprimands recorded during the match will not be taken into consideration in the penalty shoot-out.” The PRO (Professional Organization of Referees) stepped forward to clarify that MLS is still disputed under the old regulations. Therefore, the Orlando City of Oriole Rosell legitimately reached the semifinals of the Eastern Conference, where the winner of the Philadelphia Union-NE Revolution will be measured.