"When the players went out, they were like pfff, what a great atmosphere', Xabi Alonso said at the close of a night so long-awaited many didn't make it, and many of those who did were actually experiencing primera for the first time. At the north end of the Carlos Tartiere, Real Oviedo's fans prepared to reveal another gigantic work of art, 1,800m square metres of tifo sent tumbling across the terrace."
"The last time Madrid had been to Oviedo was 10 June 2001, the last first division game in the Tartiere. That day, a fortnight after Oviedo had beaten Barcelona at the Camp Nou, they drew 1-1 with Vicente del Bosque's side, Santi Solari scoring. I prefer to forget it, Veljko Paunovic says, but he can't. We missed so many chances; I had two, one hit the bar."
"It took 24 years to return to primera, nine days more to do so at home. Coincidence, or perhaps a kind of closure, decided it would be against the same team as the last time, 8841 days later. Another 168 teams have been there since, many of whom you probably haven't heard of, all of which Oviedo can now be proud of: Pumarin, Atletico Astorga, Colloto. Montaneros, Condal de Norena, Real Titanico."
Real Oviedo returned to Spain's top division after 24 years with a night of huge emotion and local spectacle as Real Madrid visited the Carlos Tartiere. Supporters unveiled an 1,800m square-metre tifo, bagpipers played the Asturian anthem, and generations of fans filled the stadium in blue. The club's previous La Liga match at the ground was on 10 June 2001, when Oviedo drew 1-1 with Real Madrid. Veljko Paunovic, who played that day and is now manager, recalled missed chances and messaged former teammates. The return was framed as closure, celebrating a long-awaited promotion and the club's proud history of opponents.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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