𝑬𝑼𝑺𝑲𝑨𝑳 𝑺𝑬𝑳𝑬𝑲𝒁𝑰𝑶𝑨 [Thread]

𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒚: 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒙𝒐 𝑻𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒆́ ( @groundhopperbcn)

This is the story of the Basque Country football team.

On Monday, Natxo went to see a very special match: Basque Country v Costa Rica, played in Eibar's beautiful Ipurúa stadium.

This is the story of Euskal selekzioa.

It's been more than 100 years since the Basque National Team played its first game. On January 3rd 1915, 'The Northern Team' won against Catalonia at the legendary San Mamés in Bilbao.

But it was in 1930 when the side gained its identity and became the 'Euskal Selekzioa'.

The Basque Country defended the ideals of the Spanish Republic on a European Tour (inc. great performances v Racing de Paris and Olympique de Marseille) and even a Mexican tour during the Spanish Civil War, all under the management of Pedro Vallana.

For more on the Basque Country's Mexican adventures, we'd recommend @emctear's piece for @thesefootytimes. https://thesefootballtimes.co/2019/10/14/when-the-basque-national-team-finished-second-in-the-mexican-league/

Anyway, the Basque squad was formed by players born in the region representing Athletic Club, Atlético Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Arenas de Getxo, a founding member of La Liga in 1928 but now in the third tier.

Legendary striker Isidro Lángara took part in the adventure before leaving for Argentina’s San Lorenzo during WW2. Scoring 110 goals in 121 games, he retains his idol status among the Gauchos de Boedo and at Real Oviedo, where his career started and finished.

Soon a Soviet tour would test the Basques. Euskadi accepted the challenge to face Dinamo Moscow, Dinamo Leningrad, Dinamo Tbilisi, Spartak Moscow, Dinamo Minsk, Lokomotiv Moscow, and Georgia. They ended with seven victories, one draw, and one defeat. Not bad at all.

Another brief pause here to mention the story of Agustin Gomez, a Basque coach who fled to Russia as a young man and revolutionised the national game with Torpedo Moscow at the same time as Euskadi's escapades.

You can read more here. http://shorturl.at/grC67 

Anyway, despite its colourful (and successful) history, the modern Euskal Selekzioa struggles to gain UEFA's official recognition as a fully-fledged Football Federation, facing the same issues as Catalonia’s continued wants and dreams in the game.

Despite its logistical shortcomings, the side is strong with Navarre players called up to integrate the Euskal Selekzioa, as selections broadened to include the historical Euskal Herria region and the French provinces.

Sponsored by the popular local brand Astore, the Euskal Selekzioa wears the colours of Ikurriña, the national Basque flag. Over the years, Astore has sponsored Real Sociedad, SD Eibar, Deportivo Alavés, CA Osasuna, Sporting de Gijón, and Catalonia's National Team, among others.

After the infamous Gernika tragedy in spring of 1937, Eibar was officially declared as 'Region Devastated'. But they could not destroy the spirit of Eibarreses. It was in 1940 when a new team emerged in Eibar, Sociedad Deportiva Eibar.

Today, SD Eibar’s importance to Euskal Selekzioa is assured. By far one of the most picturesque grounds in Spanish football, Ipurúa keeps the essence of what makes Eibar so unique.

And it was here that the Basques faced Costa Rica.

Javier Clemente rarely gets his dues when discussing football in Spain. He reflects the spirit of the Basque player, thoroughly charismatic although probably considered a little old-fashioned by modern experts.

But when it comes to football, Clemente knows.

Costa Rica is a small football nation with incredible international knowledge with two World Cup qualifications in the last decade. This team featured captain Keylor Navas and Joel Campbell (now in Mexico with Léon), plus key men like Duarte, Vargas, Gamboa, Borges, and Moya.

Athletic Club provided the basis of the Euskadi starting XI, with nine players: Iago, Capa, Núñez, Yeray, Yuri, Williams, Morcillo, Villalibre, and, of course, Iker Muniain. Guevara from Real Sociedad and Roberto Torres completed the team.

Still, before kick off, Basque fans made their feelings known. Proud of their team but gutted they couldn't be there to support them, fan groups released a statement: "Euskal Selekzioa gu gara"—they are the team. And it's true. A country for the people, a team for the people.

But, in an empty stadium, Muniain scored after a brilliant counterattack led by Morcillo (below). Euskadi were comfortable and brought on Aihen, Bautista, and stalwarts Manu García and Oier Sanjurjo. However, Moya equalised with an unstoppable header.

You can imagine Clemente's face turning puce after Oier missed a tremendous one-on-one. People living on the Ipurua's towers (the tall buildings next to Eibar’s ground) claimed to hear the manager complaining on the sideline.

But forget Clemente's blaspheming. Let's appreciate him full of joy when Unai Núñez scored an enormous last-minute winner after a ball pumped into Costa Rica's area.

It was Clemente's game, but it remains the people's team. If only the fans could've been there to play their part.

Let's hope for next time.

...and that's it. Thanks everyone for reading.

Words and photos from the irrepressible @groundhopperbcn. Archive images from Futbol Retro and Wikipedia, plus various others.