Pamplona (EFE).- Pamplona will host this Wednesday the first leg of a Copa del Rey semifinal with just under two months to go before the 18th anniversary of the last event of this caliber that was played at El Sadar.
It was on April 20, 2005, at the same time, 9:00 p.m., when the rojillo team, then led by the Mexican Javier Aguirre, faced Atlético de Madrid in a still unreformed Sadar.
The chronicle of that day, in which Osasuna beat their rival 1-0, spoke of a clear local superiority in the first half and greater suffering in the second, when Atlético de Madrid was able to tie.
On the third corner kick, in the 27th minute, Osasuna managed to pierce the red and white goal. Puñal took the corner, Valdo finished off a single miss and the ball, after bouncing off Gronkjaer, was free for Valdo himself to shoot the 1-0 lead at the top of the small area.
That day they played Elía; Left, Cuéllar, who was expelled, Josetxo, Clavero; Valdo (m.93. Muñoz), Puñal, Pablo García, Delporte; Webó (m.85. Miguel Flaño) and Morales (m.91. Milosevic).
The Navarrese team left the tie open for the second leg at the Calderón, where there were no goals, which would make Osasuna a finalist for the first time in its history.
the situation has changed
Since then, Osasuna has played in European competition, has been relegated twice and has been promoted to the First Division on two others.
In that match in 2005, El Sadar registered an entry of 18,850 spectators, a stadium practically full, and for this Wednesday all the tickets are sold, but now the capacity of the stadium is just over 23,000 people.
By the time of the game, temperatures are expected to be below 0 degrees with a wind chill of up to -5, something that in the quarterfinals against Sevilla the red-and-white fans showed that it was not an impediment to going to the stadium.
Something that demonstrates the desire with which Osasunism awaits this historic event. In that 2005, Osasuna had just practically sealed their stay in the First Division and would finish the league with 46 points in 15th place. This season he has 33 points in 23 games and is in eighth place.
pre-match atmosphere
The city is preparing for the match and, since Saturday, Osasuna’s main sponsor, Verleal, has placed a figure in a huge shirt in the Plaza del Castillo with the number 12 of the fans and with the text “Let’s play”, to Let the fans take photos and upload them to the networks.
In addition, this Tuesday Pamplona and Bilbao woke up with a mural drawn by the street artist LKN where you can see how Chimy Ávila and Iker Muniain hug each other affectionately before tomorrow’s meeting. In Pamplona, in the old bus station and, in Bilbao, on Avenida Sabino Arana on the corner with Licenciado Poza.
In this line of historical event, the media have been publishing specials for days and, in addition, 20 students from the Faculty of Communication will cover the semifinal of the Copa del Rey from the studios of Radio Universidad de Navarra. The students will produce six hours of live programming to narrate the match between Osasuna and Athletic.
The coverage will be through the Universidad de Navarra radio station and the Gritando Gol Twitch channel from 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. In the programming there will be live connections with the field, as well as various interviews.
Among those who will speak will be Javier Domínguez, editor-in-chief of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, and there will be a round table with women journalists who cover Osasuna information.
