The education of Arsenal's youngster Carlos Vela
Salamanca plays at the Helmántico, an 18,000-seat stadium that has rarely been filled to capacity, even when the club was playing the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona back in the late 1990s in La Liga.
It was no surprise, then, when only 5,000 turned out on April 1 to watch the game against Ponferradina, even though the home team desperately needed a win to secure its place in the Spanish second division and avoid the threat of relegation.
Salamanca jumped ahead with two first-half goals born out of the playmaking abilities of its Mexican phenom Carlos Vela -- including a brilliant through-ball assist to his attacking partner Braulio. The 18-year-old Aztec wunderkind also had a hand in the ensuing third goal, and was looking for his own score with electrifying runs and left-footed shots.
With 30 minutes left, Ponferradina got a goal back. Yet in the 81st minute, with the score 3-1, Salamanca looked to make it a blowout: Vela used a quick burst of speed to reach a pass inside the Ponferradina box; he flew by the goalie, pushing the ball toward his left and peering at the empty net as the end line loomed near. But then he hurried his shot.
"I didn't have an angle," Vela says in the Helmántico dressing room the day after the game. "I was coming at full speed, dribbled to one side and took a shot. Some days everything finds the back of the net, and some days it doesn't."
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