Did Barcelona ‘win’ El Derbi de Madrid?
With the restrictions slowly relaxing, new opportunities are presenting themselves
LAST week I suggested that, after the Madrid ‘Derby’ the final destination of the LaLiga title may be a little easier to perceive. Yeah, well, perhaps not so much after all. A share of the points at the Wanda Metropolitano and a win for Barcelona in Pamplona only served to muddy the waters even more.
For much of the ‘Derby’ it seemed Atléti were on course to garner the three points that would have left Los Blancos with a mountain to climb if they were to successfully defend their title. A home victory would have left the champions nine points adrift with
Simeone’s team still having a game in hand – and just a dozen fixtures to play. It would probably have been a ‘game over’ scenario for Zidane’s injury-ravaged squad, and who knows where that would have left the French coach. Persistently nagging rumours of him being less than fully content at Real Madrid refuse to go away.
Luis Suárez had given Atletico the lead with a superbly taken goal on the quarter hour when a scything run from Llorente sliced the visitors’ defence asunder. Casemiro is a wonderful weapon in the Madrid midfield and may well be a key player in the rebuilding of the team but, when he slots into a centre back role, the propensity for a defensive naivety is there to be exposed. Such it was with Suárez’s deceptive run to create space behind Varane, and the finish with the outside of his right foot
was something to savour.
In so many games past, a single goal has been enough for Atléti as they retreated into their casehardened defence and played out time with the outstanding Jan Oblak always a rock behind their back line. Los Blancos pressed as the home team ceded ground in midfield but, in truth with the Slovenian goalkeeper looking in imperious form, were thwarted on a number of occasions. If Atléti are used to seeing games out though, Real Madrid are just as accustomed to getting the job done with late goals and, in this battle between the immoveable obstacle and the irresistible force, the champions eventually achieved a breakthrough, albeit a little fortuitously. A stumbling Benzema forced the ball through to Casemiro who, displaying cool and calm in the height of the moment, eased the ball back towards the French striker, bypassing Oblak, and allowing Benzema to stroke the ball home.
There was another event worth mentioning in the game, although for many observers the significance may have passed them by. On 67 minutes, referee Alejandro José Hernández Hernández flashed a yellow card at Real Madrid’s French centre back, Raphaël Varane. A defender being cautioned in a high-profile game is nothing unusual you may surmise – except, for Varane, it absolutely is. The yellow card was his first of the season after more than 2,200 minutes playing time. His previous caution was back in January 2020. It’s a remarkable record. Does he even get cards on his birthday?
At the end of the day, the result meant that Real Madrid remained in touch, but still five points adrift. With the champions struggling for first team players, bereft of the services of Ramos and Carvajal
in defence, should Atléti have pressed on for a killer second goal? At the end of the season, they may be left lamenting a missed chance to drill home their advantage.
Perhaps the club benefitting most from the draw in Madrid was Barcelona. That defeat of Osasuna with goals from Jordi Alba and the clincher late on from the young Ilaix, on as a substitute for Busquets – have you ever seen anyone happier to score a goal by the way? – allowed the Blaugrana to leapfrog over the champions into second place and probably become the biggest threat to Atléti’s title ambitions. The gap to the top team is now three points, and Simeone still has to take his team to the Camp Nou. By the time you read this, Atléti’s game in hand, at home to Athletic Club, will have been played. Win it and they’ll have established some breathing space. Any other result however would make them vulnerable to Koeman’s team.
By any measure, it’s been a remarkable season for the Catalans. Unrest over Messi’s future, gifting Suárez to title rivals, financial turmoil, raids from the legal authorities and Joan Laporte back as president, among other trials and tribulations have added disruptions to this most unusual of seasons. Koeman has been brave in both tactics and team selection. In the past when in trouble, the Blaugrana have often turned to youth for salvation and may have done so again. Anso Fati, Pedri, Araujo and Moriba have now been joined by Ilaix. If Barcelona go on and pinch then title from here, it will be the most ‘Barcelona-est’ season ever – and no one would be surprised!
There could even be a domestic double on the cards for Barcelona, but history suggests that Athletic Club may well rain on that particular
potential victory parade. In double quick time, new coach Marcelino delivered the Supercopa de España to the San Mamés back in January, after the club had won just a single trophy in 36 years. Now they have a unique opportunity to treble that haul and present an unusual record to their coach at the same time.
Back in 2018-19, Valencia won the Copa del Rey defeating Barcelona 2-1 in the final under coach Marcelino. Early in the following season though, the club dispensed with his services. Last term, having reached that season’s final, Athletic Club and Real Sociedad agreed to delay the showpiece event until the following year, in the hope that fans would be able to attend the big game. That 2019-20 Copa del Rey final is now scheduled to be played on April 3.
Last week, Athletic Club overcame Levante to book their spot in the 2020-21 final to be played on April 17. As fate would have it, they’ll be facing Barcelona who edged past Sevilla after an injury time goal by Pique took the semi-final into extra-time. So, all of this means that, after just one trophy in 36 years, Athletic Club could win three in just three months. It also offers up the prospect of Marcelino winning three successive Copa del Rey finals and his fourth trophy overall in just under three seasons.
Finally, for sheer entertainment, tip of the hat this week has to go to Huesca and Celta Vigo who played out a basketball type of game, an end-to-end encounter produced a 3-4 result. The defeat would have done little to ease Huesca’s relegation worries, but it was great to watch. There’ll be plenty more to chat about next week. Catch you then.
Hasta luego, mis amigos!
BRIDGES to the Sea was declared the absolute champion of the 35th 200 mile A2 winter regatta, organised by Altea yacht club, which took place last weekend. Manned by Carlos Olsson and Felip Moll, this is the second time that the pair has participated in the race, which is considered one of the most complicated and challenging in the Mediterranean.
It acts as a qualifier for the A2 king's cup (Copa del Rey Spanish championship).
In total, 37 boats set sail at midday on Friday, with a northeastern wind of 8 knots allowing for a spectacular start, which resulted in a tight group of 16 boats sailing at speeds of between 4 and 7 knots. The first few hours saw two of the largest boats – Brujo (RCN Valencia)
and DKategoria (Valencia Mar/RCN Valencia) take the lead, followed by Hydra (CN Balis) and Limbo (CN Altea). The unfavourable wind direction meant that Bridges to the Sea was one of the last arrivals in Ibiza, but the prevailing calm in which the lead boats found themselves had an 'accordeon' effect, meaning that the race effectively started anew for the return leg.
Olsson and Moll, opted for a prolonged course towards the south for the return leg, and a jibe allowed them to go faster than the opposition.
It was a decision that paid off and placed them at the top of the final combined standings.
After more than 24 hours of sailing, Hydra was the first to cross the finish line in Altea at 19.20, becoming the winner in real time, followed by Brujo who arrived at 19.36 and Trabuco (RCN Torrevieja) at 20.17.
Most of those that set off managed to finish the race and crossed the line on Saturday night. After obtaining the compensated times, Bridges to the Sea, a Pogo 2 class, from CN Altea won the absolute final victory, and its crew won two silver bars of 1kg each. Second place went to Maverna from RCN Torrevieja, receiving two 500g silver bars and third position went to El Carmén-Elite Sails from RCR Cartagena, receiving two silver bars of 250g.
THE ONION is an ancient cultivated plant that has kept its shape over thousands of years. Nomads probably discovered it in Central Asia when they were searching for food in the steppes.
It is one of the oldest foods of humankind. It is hardy and easy to cultivate, adapts to any climate and stores well.
Natural aspirin
The essential oils, which break down into sulphurous compounds when crushed are not only decisive for the taste and use of the onion as a seasoning, they also stimulate the appetite and digestive juices. Onions are rich in valuable vitamins and minerals; they have an anti-inflammatory effect and purify the blood. According to health experts, 50 grams of raw onions a day can lower cholesterol and protect the heart.
How to avoid crying?
Freshly cut onions often cause a stinging sensation in the eyes of people nearby, and often-uncontrollable tears. This is caused by the release of a volatile liquid, syn-propanethial-Soxide and its aerosol, which stimulates nerves in the eye.
Eye irritation can be avoided by cutting onions under running water or submerged in a basin of water. Leaving the root end intact also reduces irritation as the onion base has a higher concentration of sulphur compounds than the rest of the bulb. Refrigerating the onions before use reduces the enzyme reaction rate and using a fan can blow the gas away from the eyes. The more often one chops onions, the less one experiences eye irritation
The onion family
Not all onions are the same; each variety tastes different, which must be taken into account when using them in the kitchen. They are available all year round.
The onion family includes the green and white spring onions, which, however, do not keep for long and are not suitable for all dishes; the fine shallot, which is often preferable to the ordinary onion, no matter how much work it is to peel them; the red onion ideal to garnish salads or the white onion, which is good for sautéing.
Leeks are also a member of the onion family, and are an ideal ingredient for soups, and so are chives. Last but not least, there is the small silver or pearl onion used for pickling.
Spain, mainly Valencia and Castilla-La Mancha, is a big producer and consumer of onions. The thick, mild vegetable onion, also called Spanish onion, is particularly popular here. They are excellent for stuffing, eating raw in salads or making onion rings.
Here on the Mediterranean coast, onions are part of everyday life and are used in soups or in sofrito (a sauce base), in meat, vegetable or stand-alone dishes - whether fried, sautéed or raw in a salad, it is impossible to imagine the kitchen without the spicy bulb.
Cooking with onions
■ Fried onions
Serves four: 4 large white onions (cebollas blancas), olive oil (aceite de oliva), 2 cloves of garlic (ajo), 4 sprigs of rosemary (romero), 8 tbsp. cream or crème fraîche (crema de leche), a few handfuls of Parmesan cheese (parmesano), sea salt (sal marina), ground black pepper (pimienta negra), 4 slices of smoked bacon (beicon).
Peel the onions and garlic, chop the garlic finely.
Boil the onions in enough water for 15 minutes until they are reasonably soft. Remove and leave to cool. Cut off about 2 1/2 centimetres from the top of each onion, and keep them. It is best to take a piece off the bottom as well, so that the onions do not fall over later on
the tray.
Carefully hollow out the onions so that they remain whole; take out about a good tablespoon of onion flesh from each. Chop the flesh finely. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a pan, sauté garlic, chopped fresh rosemary and the chopped onion for a few minutes until soft. Turn down the heat, add the cream or crème fraîche, and remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season to taste. Now wrap each onion with a slice of bacon and fix with a toothpick. Place the vegetables on a baking tray and fill with the onion-rosemary mixture.
Bake in a hot oven for about 25 minutes until they are nice and soft, which ultimately depends on the size of the onions. You can also use your favourite cheese instead of Parmesan.
■ Quick onion soup
6 red onions (cebollas rojas), 3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (vinagre balsámico blanco de Módena), 1 bay leaf (laurel),1 sprig of basil (albahaca), 1 clove of garlic (ajo) with peel, 100 ml dry white wine, 300 ml vegetable stock (caldo vegetal), salt and pepper, toast, fresh goat’s cheese (queso fresco de cabra) or parmesan, oregano (orégano, optional).
Peel and halve the onions, then cut them into fine strips. Place them in the white balsamic vinegar and let them soak for about 15 minutes. Drain, sauté with the bay leaf, basil and the crushed garlic clove. Then deglaze with a nice dry white wine and pour in the vegetable stock. Simmer until the onions are cooked. Pour the soup into ovenproof bowls. Place toast with a slice of fresh goat cheese on top, bake briefly in the oven so that the cheese melts slightly and becomes warm. You can also sprinkle a little dried oregano on the cheese.
■ Onion and leek quiche
Ingredients for the pastry: 250 g flour, 125 g soft butter, 1 egg yolk, 4 tbsp cold water, salt, a pinch of sugar (this amount is enough for two 24 cm diameter moulds; it is difficult to halve an egg yolk).
Place the flour in a bowl or on the kitchen table, make a hole in the middle and add the butter, egg yolk, water, salt and sugar. Quickly work into a dough with your fingers or a mixer and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for two hours. Butter the tin, sprinkle with flour and chill.
Filling (for 1 mould!): 200 g diced onion, 100 g finely chopped leek, 200 g diced uncooked smoked bacon, 40 g grated Gruyère cheese, 40 g grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil; 125 ml cream, 125 ml milk, 2 whole eggs, 2 egg yolks, salt, pepper, a pinch of cayenne, 1 pinch of nutmeg.
Put the bacon cubes briefly into boiling water, then strain. Sauté the onions in olive oil, add the leeks and sauté until translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Fry the blanched bacon cubes in a little oil.
Whisk the milk, cream, egg yolk and whole eggs well in a bowl and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Add the grated cheese.
Divide the dough in half; roll out between two pieces of cling film to a thickness of three millimetres and - very important! - Lightly prick the surface of the dough with a fork. Place the dough sheet in the tin with the punctures facing downwards!
Spread the onions, leek and bacon on the dough, pour the cheese and egg mixture over it and bake in a preheated oven at 190°C for 35 minutes.
■ Onion chutney
300g red onions (cebollas rojas), 1 tbsp fresh marjoram (mejorana), 50g butter (mantequilla), 50ml beetroot juice (zumo de remolacha), 1tbsp breadcrumbs (pan rallado), salt and pepper.
Slice the onions and sauté in butter with half the marjoram until translucent. Deglaze with beetroot juice. Let it boil down a little, the onions should still be firm.
Add breadcrumbs to thicken and season with salt and pepper. Finally, add the rest of the marjoram.
This strong, sweet-sour onion chutney goes well with many things. For example, it can be served with a short roast saddle of rabbit, duck breast or braised meat.
The chutney can also be prepared in advance, it keeps well in the fridge, and you just have to warm it up a bit.
■
Gilthead on an onion bed
For 2 people: 2 giltheads (doradas) approx. 450 g each, 3 large onions (cebollas), 4 tomatoes (tomates), 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (hinojo), 4 cloves of garlic (ajo), peppers (guindillas or chilis), lemon juice (zumo de limón), olive oil (aceite de oliva), salt (sal)
Peel and slice the onions. Put the tomatoes briefly in boiling water, peel off the skin, remove the seeds and cut into cubes.
In an ovenproof dish, large enough for the fish, place onions and tomatoes, fennel and peeled garlic cloves peppers if desired - salt and steam on the hob or in the oven until the onions are soft. If the whole thing gets too dry, pour on some white wine.
Wash the ready-to-cook fish (scaled and gutted, the fishmonger does this for you), sprinkle with lemon juice, place on top of the onion mixture.Place the dish in the hot oven.
Turn on the grill, so they are grilled from above and steamed from below.
Serve in the dish with baked white bread, a dry white wine or a young, chilled red wine.
THE LAND registry works as a chain in which rights are required from the registered owner and can be registered to document the declaration, transmission, charging, modification or extinction of ownership of other real rights over property. For this to be possible, the title of the person who grants the deeds must be previously registered in land registry to permit the subsequent registration of the deed documenting the subsequent legal transaction.
If the property were registered in the name of somebody else different to the person who has granted the deed, the land registry will turn down the registration of the deed, as the chain of successive ownership would not be followed. This general rule is not applicable to attorneys, legal representatives, administrators of insolvency procedures or other persons who, in a temporary capacity act as representatives or representative organs, may dispose of assets and rights in a legally regulated manner.
For the same reasons, the registration of a preventive warning of a property being subject to a legal dispute, an embargo or a prohibition to dispose of property will not be able to be registered in the land registry if the registered owner is not the person that the legal procedure refers to, although exceptionally, in criminal procedures a preventive embargo may be registered as a precautionary measure if, in the opinion of a judge or court, there are reasonable grounds to believe that the real owner of the property is the accused and the judge or court supports this opinion in the notification sent to land registry.
A recent resolution dated January 22, 2021, issued by the general directorate of legal security, suspends the registration of a deed of inheritance in which the heirs accept the inheritance of their mother and receive as their inheritance two properties that, in accordance with what is declared in the deed, were owned by the deceased in a private capacity due to having been inherited by her in turn from her father, who had passed away previously but without any evidence being provided of the registration of the said properties in her name after the death of her father, that is the grandfather of the beneficiaries.
The registrar suspended the registration of the deed due to the fact that the properties appeared in land registry in the name of the grandfather of the heirs and requested the prior registration of the deceased’s title to the properties prior to being able to register them in the name of the beneficiaries. The said decision was challenged by the beneficiaries and eventually the resolution of the appeal established that effectively, the previous inheritance documenting the acquisition of the properties by the deceased from her father had to be properly documented and registered or at least evidenced by one of the procedures established in the land registry statute which would permit the renewal of the interruption of the chain of registered titles.
The renewal of the interrupted registered chain of titles is not always an easy requirement to fulfil. The applicant must present all of the paperwork that substantiates their claim and the titles that justify the acquisition of the properties that have not been registered or recognized by land registry. If the last registration of ownership in land registry that requires renewal was not more than 30 years old, a personal notification must also be sent to the registered owner or their heirs.
As one can see, problems of this nature can cause considerable legal problems and this highlights once again the importance of researching the background to property titles and if the supposed seller of a property is actually the registered owner or at least, if a title to the property is held and could be registered in land registry to evidence ownership and permit the transfer of a registered title to the buyer.
AS it now appears that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic is receding and residents are beginning to embrace some new-found freedoms, many people have taken the opportunity to reflect on their lives and what is or is not important to them.
One of the recurring themes is how much we took for granted the ability to go just outside and immerse ourselves in the world around us.
With our liberties necessarily being restricted it has come as a shock how much we miss ‘just popping out’.
Coupling this enforced confinement with the negative impact of a more sedentary lifestyle has left many feeling ‘unfit and out of shape’, but with a yearning to renegotiate their contract with the great outdoors.
Be it for a couple of hours a week or substantially more, one sure-fire way to reestablish prior levels of fitness, set new challenges – both physical and mental - or go to that ‘stream in your mind’ that Martha Tilston sings about with breathtaking beauty in her lockdown lament Breathe… is to go for a bike ride.
So, in brief, why ride? To explain this I have used some excerpts from a very early instalment of Cycle Clips that contain important
truths about being on two wheels. Rereading them has made me realise just how ‘important’ they currently are.
There is the obvious: it is a great way to view the local scenery; unlike a jog or a walk people can travel a much greater distance in a shorter
time and take in more of the world around them.
Cyclists are out in the open air soaking up Vitamin D, and taking exercise which we all need more than ever to enhance our quality of life.
Apart from the increased self-esteem and confidence that getting fitter, leaner and
stronger gives people, simply spending more time outside will cheer them up.
This is thanks to the ability of sunlight to boost the body’s levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin.
Cycling has a considerable relaxing effect due to its uniform, cyclical movement which stabilises the physical and emotional functions of the body; it ‘clears the head’ reducing mental stress; and helps to counteract anxiety, depression and other psychological problems – all of which have a negative effect on our sense of wellbeing.
So people who want to beat the boring and often depressing effect of sitting inside day after day can simply go for a bike ride, get some exercise and expose themselves to more daylight – they will also sleep better and longer.
Cycling is one of the easiest ways to exercise; a bike can be ridden almost anywhere, at any time of the year, and without spending a fortune.
It is suitable for all ages and degrees of fitness, can be done by people who are not physically capable of other activities such as jogging or running, and they don’t have to develop a high skill level to enjoy and benefit from it, unlike many other sports.
All that is needed to get started is a bicycle, half an hour here and there when it suits, and a bit of confidence.
So for people who are yearning to hear the equivalent of Martha’s ‘curlew singing freely down on the quay’, get out on two wheels and ‘breathe in and breathe out, close your eyes, and breathe’.