Eduardo J. Castelao Madrid
Madrid
Updated Tuesday, March 26, 2024-23:43
The night was built around
Vinicius
, in a kind of Brazilian vindication and Spanish apology for the
unacceptable racist shouts he has received in various fields in this country
. It happens that the figure of the Real Madrid footballer has reached a point of disagreement in which nuances are not allowed. Neither his
detractors
recognize the very serious, and obvious, reality that he suffers from being the object of racist insults, nor do his
defenders
assume his other, unquestionable reality, that which speaks of an unacceptable athlete due to his attitude towards rivals, referees and opposing hobbies. Probably a reflection of a society, the Spanish one, prone to extreme polarization, Vinicius does not allow dialogue. Either everything is praised, or everything is censored. Does not matter. [Narrative and statistics].
It is also important not to forget that he has assigned himself,
or someone has assigned him
, a role, that of icon against this scourge, for which he may not be prepared.
Such a young boy
, to whom so many things happen so quickly, is hardly qualified to assume leadership in something of such magnitude. He, or whoever is close to him, would do well to
guide him so that the fight he has undertaken, legitimate, necessary, essential, adjusts to the reality of a 23-year-old kid who, simply, plays football very well
. His tears, like his football, do not admit nuances, no matter how many television and film cameras have been pointed at him for quite some time.
Once all the aspects of Vinicius had been assumed, the photographs had been taken with the motto
One Skin
and he had been granted the privilege of being captain in his match, it was the turn of the ball, the scene from which Vinicius departed and to which, when he returned, he gave a version, this one, unique and indisputable. He is a fantastic player, even though yesterday, like the rest of his team, he was under tension. A run down his side, saved by
Le Normand
, after half an hour, was all he could offer.
In the midst of a friendly atmosphere, almost indifferent to what was happening on the field, the shine went to
Lamine Yamal
, another different, enormous footballer. A differential type of those that are not superfluous, especially for a team like the Spanish one. The night was theirs, a rosary of dribbles and feints, of feints and lies, of deception and illusion. A
show
that ended in a tie thanks to two penalties for the locals invented by the referee, a Portuguese named
Antonio
who contributed his part and who at the last moment compensated the Brazilians a little by signaling another maximum penalty to leave everything in a draw.
Vinicius thanks the public for the ovation.PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOUAFP
Spain put in more because it was their obligation, they were playing at home and even if it was for what they will say, they should at least show interest.
Luis de la Fuente
put together
a team that looks very similar to the starter that will start the Euro Cup and between that, the Brazilian resignation and a friendly referee, who was firm in pointing out the penalty spot in a diving shot by Lamine Yamal, the team was soon in favor. in front of. In the air, however, there was always the feeling that counterattacking with
Rodrygo
or
Vinicius
is not the same as with
Nico Williams
or
Morata
. Without discrediting anyone, the individual quality in the last third of the field wore yellow, except for Lamine. This Spain will not have a hard time dominating the games because it has very talented players in the middle, but it will suffer when the games are decided by the great players. She only has one. Very good, but one.
Dani Olmo
wanted
to deny the latter with an incredible goal, the result of a delicious shot and a cut in a couple of meters, with a perfect definition to the long post at 2-0. Spain has quality, yes, but it does not have that differential quality that gives titles beyond the game, except, it is worth insisting, looking askance at the DNI, at Lamine. A pure dribbler, of sublime quality, capable of coming from both sides, of feinting, of deceiving, of dribbling... A truly differential player.
In any case, with a two-goal lead it was time for the national team, which Brazil approached unintentionally, thanks to an overconfidence with
Unai Simón
, who went to the locker room smiling, downplaying the importance or assumption that this , giving a ball to Rodrygo is part of the game. The fact is that that goal, shortly before the break, gave way to another, shortly after that break, which gave the tie to Brazil, a team, yes, much more intense, more aggressive, with all the liveliness that had been given to it. missed at the start.
Endrick
, another of those dazzling kids,
got it right .
After that impetuous start to the second half, things calmed down and everything turned upside down in the world, with whistles for
Morata
, owner of a disastrous night, and applause for Vinicius, who after 70 minutes of inconsequentiality said goodbye to his game under a intense ovation. He remained in him, in the party, Lamine Yamal, eclipse of everything that happened last night, except racism.