Duda: The Coach Of Cartagena Pursuing to Dream Title Against Former Club El Pozo Where He Was On The Brink Of Sharing The Court With Diego Maradona

 

Jimbee Cartagena coach Duda narrowly lost the chance to take revenge on his former club also from Murcia, where he left a remarkable legacy and this time everything was at stake.

El Pozo are now level on 64 points with Levante and now leaders Palma following match day 32 after their recent, emphatic 3-2 win. It has been an extraordinary LNFS campaign and it has all led to the denouement of the now 5 way title race.

Current LNFS Table

Levante were breezing and looked to be striding towards their inaugural championship but this slipped away within an instance. A spell of demoralising form in domestic cups among several points dropped against all sorts of sides has sparked, several others to emerge to vie for this prestigious title.

Cartagena and El Pozo Murcia have propelled to the peak of Spanish Futsal but in different circumstances. This crucial head-to-head was a deciding factor to who indeed takes home the prize and fans from both sides of the Spanish principality were be eager to see the outcome. 

The dismal aftermath for Cartagena was a dismal defeat to local rivals and now the slim prospect of winning the championship instead of the incredible one.

El Pozo Murcia have been substantially more successful than their local counterparts, partly influenced to the magic of Brazilian mastermind Duda. Former player of El Pozo in the 1990s began his illustrious takeover in charge of the club in 2001.

Unexpectedly and incredibly, prior to the start of his managerial career, Duda could of experienced the pinnacle of sporting privileges by playing with Argentine football icon Diego Maradona.

In 1991 El Pozo proposed an outrageous bid to sign him with the aim of making him the star of the team in the 91-92 season. The Argentine star, who was not living his best days after the controversy that was generated by the fifteen- month sanction for the player's positive after a Naples game, received an offer of 100 million pesetas from Murcia. The then president of El Pozo, Eloy Jiménez, made it clear that nothing was a "bluff", and that with Diego Armando the pavilions would be filled. "We offer him the possibility of rehabilitating himself in sports and changing his life and image after the Italian scandal," added Jiménez. Everything was left in a wish that could not be fulfilled.

El Pozo's attempts to sign Diego Maradona outlined in 1991 newspaper article.

This was in the midst of playing for Napoli in 1991 where Diego Armando had a drug crisis, vastly influenced by the psychological deterioration of fame and defeating Italy in the World Cup, the place where he was dearly loved but crushed the fans dreams.

This man was dedicated to futsal in his youth and a man who ultimately revolutionised the game of football with his small physique but possessing no less of an ability than any other player and just a model of flair and technical brilliance. This was all developed through futsal in Argentina, the most prominent nation in futsal popularity and a key nation of founding our beautiful game.

This could have been the turning-point for futsal and would of been. It really is just incredible!

The euphoria just hearing of this news in the 90s experienced by Duda must have been overwhelming, so twenty years later can he individually transform a team absent of triumphs into a European powerhouse?

The Costa Colida coach recently appeared on the media expressing his thoughts prior to the bout, “Both teams know that a loss there would make it very difficult for us to be at the top. We have three games ahead of us, but this is key because it is against a direct rival, ”explained Duda.

The Jimbee Cartagena coach has defined the rival team as "a team with a lot of potential, many virtues and with clear ideas" and predicts that it will be a "very competitive game against a team that is having a very good season." 

The task was daunting for both sets of players heading into the game at the Murcia Sports Place where stakes are exceptional high and Duda wanted to feel full of confidence “it is another challenge that we have ahead of us and we are going to try to achieve it”.

The aftermath however, was El Pozo leaving a significant dent in their rivals' trophy hopes after their 3-2 victory yesterday against them. A completely dominant display, very much defensively, from Diego Giustozzi's side until two goals in the second half from Cartagena in quick succession coinciding with relentless pressure especially with Duda's introduction of a fly-keeper, forced the hosts to scrape a victory.

The race remains tight with even the out of form Barcelona able to reach another title. Dropping of points will prove costly and underdogs Levante and Cartagena have the chance that they have been granted, to eradicate the giants of Spains' title hopes and clinch their first titles for themselves. 

The teams must watch out and fight their way to the finish line in this unprecedented LNFS season finale.