Appointment with history: Torrero, an unforgettable field in the history of Eibar
Before the next match against Real Zaragoza, we recall a historic episode: Eibar's first visit to Torrero, seventy-two years ago.
Eibar stepped onto the Torrero field in Zaragoza for the first time in February 1954, when they were playing in the Northern Group of the Second Division. The visit came after Zaragoza had fallen at Ipurua by 3-1 in October 1953, and it promised a challenging match on a muddy field under the watchful eye of the famous Basque referee Ortiz de Mendivil.
The Armro team, led by Antonio Corral, lined up Edu, San Martín, Ansola, Cans, Kaiku, Valdés, Montalbán, Arzallus, Berecibar, Uncilla, and Luis Mari Aranegui. Just before halftime, Valdés took a throw-in that Berecibar headed into the heart of the area, and Aranegui scored a spectacular header. Years later, this same Aranegui would become president of SD Eibar.
The second half quickly showed the intensity of the match. The home team equalized at the start and took the lead with a penalty half an hour in. But the most memorable action came a few minutes later: Montalbán, who had scored three goals against Zaragoza in the first leg, shone again with the “trickster” play. After a lofted ball into the area by Guisasola “Kaiku,” the home goalkeeper Yarza touched the ball with his hand outside the area. The referee called the foul, and Montalbán shot into the empty net, securing the final 2-2 draw.
The atmosphere ignited after the draw: cushion throws, shouts against the referee and Eibar players, which continued even after the end of the match. Despite the tension, the blue and reds achieved a valuable draw in their first visit to Zaragoza, leaving an unforgettable memory.
The Torrero field was already a place with history for the people of Eibar, as there, the previous year, they had won their first Spanish Amateur Football Championship, defeating Rayo Vallecano in the tiebreaker match by 7-1.