“Cazorla, stay!” The chant echoed throughout the Tartiere Stadium immediately after the referee’s final whistle. The supporters refuse to lose their Magician. Aware of the captain’s recent comments about his future at El Requexón, the Oviedo faithful didn’t wait for an official announcement to send their message. If the former Spain international decides to retire at the end of the season, the match against Getafe could have been his second-to-last appearance at the Tartiere.
The game ended in a goalless draw, leaving Oviedo clinging to a thread of hope in La Liga. Relegation could be confirmed later tonight if Girona takes points against Rayo Vallecano. Despite the stalemate, mathematics still frown upon the blue side, which will spend the next few hours watching results from other stadiums.
The atmosphere outside the Tartiere before the match was noticeably different from other games. It bore no resemblance to the big occasions of the season, not even to those final afternoons in Segunda last year when promotion was within reach and the fans pushed their team forward. The build-up to the Getafe clash—a match that could seal Oviedo’s return to the second division just a year after reaching the elite—painted a very different picture: fewer people around the stadium, long faces everywhere.
The municipal stadium, usually packed for important matches, failed to draw as many supporters as in previous encounters. Attendance was even lower than during some decisive fixtures in the late stages of last season’s Segunda campaign. The explanation was simple: the Oviedo faithful had already done the math in their heads and knew a defeat against Getafe would confirm the drop back to the second tier. Still, some arrived at the Tartiere with a sliver of hope intact, especially among the younger fans who still allow themselves the luxury of believing.
Micka Argüelles, accompanied by his father Gerardo, was one of them. “I think it’s still possible. If we go down, we need to strengthen the squad well, because I hope we come back up quickly,” he said. Florentino Fernández, on the other hand, did not share the optimism. “We’re already in the second division, there’s little more to do,” he summarized before heading to his seat—a widespread feeling among a crowd that came more to say goodbye than to cheer. Marisa López, with a similar outlook, assumed relegation was practically sealed and admitted she came mainly “to make use of the season ticket.” She promised to pray a lot during the match “in case a miracle happened,” though she considered it highly unlikely. She did not hide her displeasure with the club’s management: in her opinion, it was unacceptable to be begging for miracles at this stage of the season, and the responsibility fell on the board’s decisions.
There were also young fans accepting the outcome without giving up their last glimmer of excitement. Nel Gutiérrez already saw himself back in the second division, but he didn’t lose hope of ending the campaign with a bit of joy. “I hope Cazorla can score a few goals so that Oviedo wins and the other rivals don’t pick up any more points,” he said.
Overall, the scene painted a Tartiere that arrived for the Getafe match without its usual emotion and energy—more prepared to accept relegation than to celebrate a hypothetical miracle. But the fate drags on for a few more hours. The season in the top flight, barring a miracle, is nearing its end with a loyal fanbase sticking by the team until the final minute, yet also realistic. And with a captain whom the crowd, even before hearing him say goodbye, is already begging to stay.
