2.3. Good Copa Bad Copa 🏆

Contents include: Copa Del Rey drama, debut goals, goalkeeping howlers, attempted giant killing, squeaky bum time, reality checks and island pride

 

🎵 Suggested tune: “Lose Yourself – Eminem (Spanish Acoustic Version)”

 

In my last post, we had just drawn Atletico Madrid in the Quarter Final of the Copa Del Rey. Not the easiest draw in the world even though they only narrowly beat us 1-0 in the league earlier in the season, however a big performance will be needed in both legs if we are to progress to the next round.

Tammy Abraham has literally only arrived in the door on loan from Chelsea and it’s too soon to include him in the match day squad, looks like the lad has a knock anyway and will be out for another week. There is literally no time to waste with the first leg upon us as we welcome Atletico Madrid to Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López.

 

Tenerife vs Atletico Madrid – Copa Del Rey Quarter Final Leg 1

The game starts and it’s an absolute catastrophe for CD Tenerife as a disastrous error from Goalkeeper Sondre Rossbach gifts a goal to Diego Costa, who needless to say is hungry as ever to make an impact. Not only did we go 1-0 down just minutes in to the game, but I was eating my pre-work breakfast at the time….

Well that’s one way to ruin my corn flakes 🤬 #FM19 #YOUCANNOTBESERIOUS pic.twitter.com/fatdfDQovW

— MaddFM (@MaddFM986) March 28, 2019

 

An instant shout to the lads demanding more seems to have a good impact – on form Brenner gets in to a great position to convert LB Marco Friedl‘s low cross and its 1-1 on 12 minutes. From here the game basically converts to a game of Olympic standard table tennis; Bisseck rises to put us 2-1 up only for Griezmann to equalise just before half time; Milla strikes for Tenerife to make it 3-2 on 55 mins, before Savic manages to level the game on 86 mins meaning Atletico now have 3 away goals in the bank if needed. Then, just when all hope is lost and we are thinking ahead to a really tough game in Madrid, substitute Antonio Marin pops up in the 92nd minute and smashes home the winning goal to give us a 4-3 advantage going in to the 2nd leg. Absolute scenes in Tenerife!!!! See below for highlights of this 7 goal thriller.

Only a week separates the first and second legs, during which we have time to beat rivals Malaga 4-2 at home in the league (with another brace from Brazilian loan Striker Brenner), and suddenly we are back in the Spanish capital for the 2nd leg of the Copa Del Rey Quarter final desperately hoping to hold on to our slender 1 goal advantage.

 

Atletico Madrid vs CD Tenerife – Copa Del Rey Quarter Final Leg 2

It’s deja-vu for Tenerife as they again concede early in the first half with that man Diego Costa putting Atletico ahead on 25 mins. The game stays like that until half time and as things stand Atletico are going through on away goals as is the rule in Spanish football. A change is needed, so Manager MaddFM decides its time for Tammy Abraham to make his debut for Tenerife in place of Naranjo who was poor in the first half. Abraham and Brenner offer bags of pace up front for Tenerife but Atletico are solid at the back and look comfortable in dealing with every ball that comes in to the final third. It looks like Atletico will hold on to progress to the Semi-Final…..

87″ – UNBELIEVABLE!!! Brenner and Abraham combine well in the Atletico box and what a time for debutant Tammy Abraham to score what is surely the goal that puts CD Tenerife through to the Copa Del Rey Semi Final.!

 

AND THAT’S IT! Somehow against all odds, Tenerife have beaten Atletico Madrid 5-4 on aggregate and have qualified for the Copa Del Rey Semi Final along with Real Sociedad, Atletico Bilbao and Barcelona. No doubt Manager MaddFM will hope to avoid the Catalan giants in the Semi-Final draw which takes place live below!!

 

 

No such luck as we draw Barcelona in the Semi Final and have it all to do if we are to reach a cup final for the first time in the club’s history. Bring it on!!

 

Sin Dolor no hay Gloria (No Pain No Gain)

 

First dilemma – fresh from his winning debut goal against A. Madrid, we decided to start Tammy Abraham in our next game against Deportivo and within 60 seconds he did this:

Sadly we lost that game, however it gives plenty of food for thought for the upcoming huge fixtures ahead. While a cup run is always welcome – somehow we found ourselves playing 9 matches in the month of January alone, 5 of which were against Top 4 sides in Spain. Thankfully our patriarch Senior Concepcion allowed us to recruit a couple of extra physios around Christmas time.

 

Barcelona vs CD Tenerife – Copa Del Rey Semi Final Leg 1

After a surreal and epic victory in the QF, there is nothing like a good FM reality check to keep things in perspective and bring you back down to Earth with a bang.

Not only was there over 95,000 in the stadium versus our average attendance of approx. 22,000 – Barcelona welcomed us to the Nou Camp and absolutely battered the sh*t out of us, scoring two goals either side of half time to win 4-0. This pretty much sums up my post match reaction and the thought of having to play them again in just 6 days time:

 

CD Tenerife vs Barcelona – Copa Del Rey Semi Final Leg 2

4 goals down…Barcelona are in town…as they say in the movies, it’s not over until it’s over 💪.

I’ve been playing Football Management simulation games since the days of Sensible Soccer 95/96 and Championship Manager 2, and what conspires next is one of the craziest and most unexpected games I’ve ever played; Spoiler Alert – we don’t qualify, but f*ck me were we close:

Somehow, despite going 0-1 down to a goal from the only man hungrier than Diego Costa, we managed to calmly turn the game around and knock 5 goals past the Catalan giants with goals from Brenner (2), Lasso, Alberto and Xadas – making it 5-5 on aggregate and that one Suarez goal the deciding factor as Barcelona advance to the final on away goals. It was without doubt the best performance we have had in this save so far, and myself, Inigo and Roy were on the sidelines looking like this in front of 22,468 home fans:

That’s all for today’s post – as usual, please feel free to read back from the start via the Menu at the top of the page, or by clicking Home above. My next post will contain a full league update and depict our end of season run-in as we attempt to break in to the top half of La Liga. If you are enjoying this blog/save please hit follow below and leave some comments/feedback – you can also keep up to date with my latest content by following me on Twitter – thoughts and retweets always welcome!! Cheers, MaddFM.