For another rescue in extremis

He Cangas he is used to leaving homework to Luntil the last section it’s out of season. With today there will be four occasions where he had to wait until the last or penultimate date of the championship to confirm his continuity in Asobal; So far always with success. The club has been an uninterrupted militant in the highest category of Spanish handball since 2012, when it celebrated its last promotion.

The most recent precedent of staying in the fight until the end dates from two years ago, in 2021. Then they did not achieve it on their own merits, but lost the penultimate game, but were favored by other results that came into play. I play in the fight so as not to fall. More precisely, the suspense was interrupted by the match between Guadalajara and Puerto Sagunta. If it wasn’t like that, they would have had the last shot on the last day, again depending on others, because they were against Barcelona.

They also had to suffer terribly four years before, when, still with Pilla at the head of the team, they defeated Bidasou in a sudden Gatañalo and in a match that kept the emotions going until the end. Along with that result, they also have another one, the victory of Ademar in Aranda. It was considered a transition season.

In 2013, in the first campaign of the current phase of the Cangués team in Asobal, they played everything on the last day. The bad news for Galician handball was that Octavio was eliminated, now without a return ticket, but Cangas stayed with the team of kids from home. «This is a happy day for Cangas and the team, as they continue to be in Asobal with a team of birds of prey“, summed up Pillo ten years ago.

The following year, they needed a game less to close the gap. The final day win against Granollers (27-18) in May 2014 came after sealing the ticket for Asobal on the next leg against Puente Genil the previous day. They went further a year ago, when they had their homework done with three matches to go, although after the season they thought they could go to Europe.

In 2018, they were the bottom team in mid-February after five months without a win, but went into the final day relieved to know they were the elite team for next year after a spectacular second round. Magí Serra’s request to Joaquín Dosil to help them with the psychological part was crucial. They seemed to need a similar miracle in 2020, when they were bottom when the league was suspended due to the pandemic. Luck was on their side and there were no descents when it seemed like they were going straight into the hole.

Europe

Among all these sufferings were two years of oasis. Cangas qualified for Europe in 2015 and 2016, finishing fifth in both seasons. These were the only truly peaceful exchange rates in this entire period.