This past weekend the curtain came down on the Santander League 2022-2023. The stakes were not high although with six teams involved in the fight to escape the final relegation spot the drama took hold on Sunday night with Valladolid finally becoming a Liga Smartbank side.
But there were many more focuses of attention in the farewell to the championship. Joaquín, for example, played his last game as a professional. He was 622nd in the First Division, equaling Andoni Zubizarreta's record. Mateu Lahoz, for his part, directed his last game as a referee. Both ended up breaking down in tears at the end of the game, receiving different tributes.
With a penalty goal from Embarba almost at the last minute, Almería achieved permanence. A point that is already the history of the Andalusian club and that, despite the fact that Rubi later announced that he would not continue as Almería coach, he flooded the rojiblancas ranks with joy in Cornellà after the 3-3 final.
Joaquín Sánchez is already a living history of Spanish football. Against Valencia, on the last day of the League, he added his 622nd game in the First Division, equaling Andoni Zubizarreta's record. And without being a goalkeeper and having played a few seasons at Fiorentina, the merit is tremendous. This is how Benito Villamarín recognized him, who did not stop chanting his name. Joaquín couldn't help but be moved and shed a good handful of tears.
Although the image has been repeated in recent days, what happened this Sunday in Mallorca is especially noteworthy since it marked the official farewell of Mateu Lahoz as a referee in the First Division. At the end of the game, the players from both teams made a tribute corridor for him and the Valencian couldn't help but be deeply moved.
The Nuevo Zorrilla took all the blows of the last day of the League. Valladolid could not score against Getafe and the final 0-0 ended up condemning them to relegation. On the pitch and in the stands, the tears of sadness revealed a clear reality. Pacheta's dismissal has not been beneficial for Ronaldo's club, which will now have to fight to return to the elite in the always difficult Second Division.
One of the fields that suffered the most and was vibrated at the same time was in Balaídos. With water around their necks, Celta was able to defeat Barça, a champion who did not risk anything and again did not perform at a good level, and sealed a salvation that was celebrated like a title.
