“Hard blow”, this is how the Portugalete captain and coach described the in extremis defeat suffered last Sunday against Beasain in the semifinal of the play-off for promotion to the Second RFEF. A defeat that meant their elimination in the cruelest way and for which they remain in the way of their priority objective. Next season they will continue to be a Third RFEF team. Even so, Aketza González stressed that “we have died on the shore, but with a clear conscience that we have done everything possible.”
Portugalete was fully involved in the game against Beasain. However, the Gipuzkoans ended all their hopes with a goal in stoppage time. “It’s a shame because the sensations were good. They were so good that the team, instead of closing and waiting for extra time, has been going for the game and the soul has played a trick on us, “lamented the coach. The second captain, Ander Santamaría reflected that “in these games, the one who makes the fewest mistakes ends up taking it and we have made two very serious ones”.
Likewise, the central defender added that “the energy ends up making a dent”. The jarrilleros faced a tough extension against Barakaldo and as a result, “there were people already touched and our physique has penalized us a bit,” he expanded. That last goal disrupted all the plans of the Portuguese team. “We thought we were going to extra time and we already had organized how we were going to do it,” revealed Aketza González. It could not be. Therefore, it was normal for players to be “broken”. «Now I’m screwed, tomorrow I’ll be more positive and I’ll talk to people and I’ll try to encourage as much as possible. This is a very long process, you don’t just have to keep this, “said Santamaría.
Aketza González, who took over the reins of the team just four weeks ago, has not been able to meet the club’s ambitious goal. However, he indicates that “it has been a luxury to get to know Portugalete from the inside, it is a spectacular club with all the media in the world, very well structured, the fans are a spectacle and the team is incredible”. “I feel sorry because they have left their soul with me, I cannot reproach anyone for anything, they have done what I have told them until the end,” he adds. As for Santamaría, he was questioned about his future and stated that “we have to talk a lot, sit down, look at things and see if Portugalete wants to count on me. In principle I am very comfortable here and of course I value staying.
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