There are things that happen only once in life and you know will never happen again. I witnessed one such event on a balmy night in Valencia, Spain.
The mighty Barcelona, already crowned La Liga champions, were coming to town to play Levante, known as “the frogs”, who had just escaped relegation. Barcelona were on an amazing run unbeaten in La Liga and were looking to set a record completing the season without losing, or so they thought.
On the Thursday before the match I went up to Ciutat de Valencia stadium in search of a ticket and got one behind the goal in the Alboraya end of the ground in row 21 for €60. The stadium is small and intimate and holds a mere 26,000, a glorified Tolka Park. Levante are the second club in the city and looked down on by their wealthy neighbours Valencia, whose stadium the Mestalla, a mere two miles away, can hold nearer 60,000.
When it comes to results and trophies Valencia usually have the bragging rights.
Levante has its origins in the slightly dodgy port area and their fans are treated with a certain suspicion at away games.
Valencia has chosen to go up and out and the ground is now very much encircled by top-end developments- ironic given its humble origins
When my cousin and I went to Villareal up the coast we were given the full treatment by the police and each individually searched.
The Ciutat de Valencia name for the ground is something of a misnomer. It means City of Valencia in the local language but when I saw it first it stood outside the city limits in splendid isolation surrounded by empty space.
Valencia like Dublin had its own building boom and the city rapidly expanded to surround the ground with a Dundrum-style shopping centre, Las Arenas, built beside it along with some space-age looking apartment blocks.
Valencia has chosen to go up and out and the ground is now very much encircled by top-end developments, ironic given its humble origins near the port from where it still attracts a reasonable following.
Barca did come back to five-four but it was not enough, and Levante to be fair could have added another in the 90th minute
The club also had an Irish connection with international Ian Harte spending a number of seasons there after leaving Leeds.
On the night the game began with more hope than expectation but against all the odds Levante were 2-0 up after half an hour and deservedly making their more illustrious opponents look mundane.
There was no Messi about but even without him Barca are a force to be reckoned with. They had conceded only 24 goals in their previous 36 La Liga matches.
At half-time Levante were two-one up but the old man sitting beside me was worried. He said a lot to me, none of which I understood, but I knew from his body language and face that he was concerned. This was something outside the norm. Barca would be back and looking for revenge in the second half. However 30 seconds in and it was another goal for Levante, a fantastic start. Then two more and Levante five-one up. Now we were in the realm of fantasy. My son Damien, the other half of Levante’s supporters club in Dublin texts: “Oh my God, five . . . what is going on”?
Barca did come back to five-four but it was not enough, and Levante to be fair could have added another in the 90th minute.
It was an anxious wait for the final whistle but come it did and the place exploded.
The old man beside me grabbed me in a bear hug with joy unconfined, and that I can assure you is probably something else that will never happen again. The frogs had beaten the princes of football.