Tenerife Win First Game Since Death of Jesus de Miguel
Tenerife beat Ceuta 2-0 on their first game since the death of their striker, Jesus de Miguel, who was 30. The match was played at the Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez stadium, and the home crowd used it to say goodbye.
BBC Sport reports that de Miguel died on 3 November. He had collided with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a home match in Spain's Segunda Division, the second tier of Spanish football, and died a day later.
Before kick-off, a minute's silence was held, bookended by standing ovations. In the ninth minute, play stopped again so the crowd could applaud, and a tribute video was shown on the stadium screens. Tenerife fans unfurled a banner that read "Jesus de Miguel, 9, eternally blue and white."
The game was not easy to find the right tone for, and the football was not the only thing on the pitch. Nacho Gil gave Tenerife the lead in the 40th minute. He celebrated by holding up de Miguel's shirt. He also showed the message on his undershirt, which read "Demi, always in our hearts."
Neal Viereck made it 2-0 four minutes from time, and the win ended a run of six league games without a victory. Tenerife are now 14th in the table.
The club's previous fixture, against Granada on 7 November, was postponed after de Miguel's death. The Spanish football federation has also dealt with the match against Andorra. That game was abandoned seven minutes into stoppage time after the incident involving de Miguel. The federation ruled that it will not be replayed and the 2-2 scoreline will stand. Owono has been given a 12-match suspension for the challenge.
Football has a habit of giving people a shared place to sit with grief. On a night like this, that meant a stadium full of people standing in silence, then rising together to applaud. It also meant a squad playing for a team-mate, and a fan base finding words for a loss that had no good words.
For Tenerife, the result matters in the table. For the players and supporters, it mattered more as a way to mark a life.
