Deportivo returns this Sunday to the Kingdom of León, a field that it has not set foot on for twenty years. The last visit of the Coruña people dates from November 28 of 2001 in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey.
The new stadium of the Cultural had been inaugurated a few months before (May 20) and clash against a Champions team and recently champion of LaLiga became his first big event. As in the last round of Cups disputed this week, it was a crossing to a single match that touched the surprise.
The Cultural, then directed by Tomé, stood up Irureta’s men and the locals went ahead in the 70th minute with a goal from Raúl Ibáñez. Deportivo, with the rope around his neck, reacted with a great protagonist: Diego Tristán.
The forward of the Algaba signed a double in five minutes (75 ‘and 80’) that ended the Leonese dream. That season, Depor He ended up winning the Cup in the famous Centenariazo of the Santiago Bernabéu (1-2).
One of the goals in the final was from a decisive Tristán (the other by Sergio) in the race to the title with key goals in the quarterfinals and semifinals against Valladolid and Figueres respectively.
They came to face in First
That Cup match in the Kingdom of León was the last, but not the only one between two clubs that met another 16 times in all categories. The first of them was also in the Cup, but in the 1941-42 season, a tournament in which they played three more games.
In Second B they did it twice in the 1980-81 campaign, while the greatest number of duels took place in Second (8). Both teams even lThey came to play in the First Division in the 1955-56 season, the Coruñeses winning both in Riazor and La Puentecilla. In total, Cultural and Deportivo have met 17 times with a balance of five Leonese victories, three draws and nine Galician triumphs.