[Sport] A wolf in novice fur

[#Steeven.™]

Granada has been among the eight best teams in the Europa League in the year of its debut, following in the footsteps of teams such as Mallorca or Alavés

League, Cup and Europa League, the challenge was triple for Granada, and the threat of succumbing to such a challenge flew over Los Cármenes, but once again the team led by Diego Martínez has blown up even the most optimistic forecasts, and In his first participation in Europe, he has slipped into the top eight in the competition, an achievement that encapsulates the work and character of the Andalusian team.

After waiting ninety years to experience a similar event, Granada shook off any kind of complex in the three previous rounds, leaving Teuta, Tbilisi and Malmo in the ditch in a solvent way, with a balance of nine goals in favor and only one goal. against, credentials with which he appeared in the group stage to continue astonishing the unwary who did not have the Grenadians on the radar.

Fully immersed in the Europa League, Granada left their calling card on the continent by storming the Philips Stadion by beating PSV, a true European champion, 1-2. Convinced of being able to compete against any rival, the Nasrid advanced with a firm step, leading the group until the last day, when an unforeseen draw against PAOK lowered them to second place, a small disappointment that could not cloud the fact of continuing to make history in Europe, and all while maintaining a high level in the League and the Cup.

 

Steady pulse
The hype was going to bring Granada a match against another historic one like Naples. With much more experience and an unattainable budget for the Andalusians, everything indicated that the dream was doomed to fade before the heirs of Maradona, but the rojiblanco team again broke all the bets with a 2-0 victory that left the Neapolitans near the KO.

Already in Italian territory, Gattuso's men put Granada on the ropes, but the Nasrid, who have multiple virtues, showed their survival instinct to write another brilliant chapter to add to the book of its premiere in Europe. In the round of 16, the rojiblancos dodged rivals such as Manchester, Milan, Roma or Tottenham, finally being paired with the Norwegian Molde.

With the maximum ambition but being aware of the difficulty, Granada once again left its debutante status in the closet to distill a great performance, being superior to the Nordics both in the first leg and in the final match, thus achieving the passport for the quarterfinals of the Europa League in the year of its debut, emulating other Spanish teams that shone in their long-term starts at the continental level.

 

Well prepared
The first times, in life as in football, are not usually easy, a racing pulse, nerves and clumsiness, but there are those who seem to be born prepared to perform naturally in any scenario, as Granada has shown, which has already equaled what they got Getafe, Rayo Vallecano and Malaga in their respective debuts in Europe.

Villarreal took a further step in the 2003-04 season, reaching the semifinals of the second continental competition to lose by the minimum against Valencia. Far from being satisfied, the rojiblanco team wants more, and is willing to follow in the footsteps of Mallorca or Alavés, who were able to reach the final despite being rookies.