Tenerife hails new sporting hero
A new sporting hero is being hailed in Tenerife in the wake of the big derby game between the top two teams in the Canary Islands.
Bragging rights were comprehensively claimed by supporters of CD Tenerife after their 3-1 defeat of their big rivals from Gran Canaria, UD Las Palmas.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man and in 19-year-old Iriome González CD Tenerife certainly had the man for the occasion.
Iriome struck twice in the first half with goals in the third and 29th minutes to put his side well in control at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez in the capital of Santa Cruz.
Las Palmas pulled a goal back in the 64th minute, but the home side restored their two-goal advantage from the penalty spot two minutes later, Ayoze converting the kick after substitute Cristo was fouled in the area.
As derby passions rose, the ‘blanquiazules’ – as Tenerife are known because of their blue and white strip – had Clavero sent off near the end but his dismissal was too late to change the course of the game.
For the home fans, Iriome’s match-winning performance was all the more special because he is a home-grown talent, hailing from the town of Icod de los Vinos in the north of the island.
Iriome is a rare talent who has already attracted the attention of some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez, who managed the Tenerife team back in the 2000/01 season, is hoping to persuade the youngster to join the Reds in the summer and a fee of £1.5million has already been mooted.
But Iriome, who only forced himself into the Tenerife first team just before Christmas, does not think he is ready for a move to the Premiership so early in his career and has so far resisted the Merseyside club’s overtures.
Rivalry between the Canarian two teams is just as passionate and intense as it would be back home for derby games between Everton and Liverpool, Manchester United and City, Rangers and Celtic, Arsenal and Tottenham etc.
This weekend’s meeting between the two Canarian teams had the added edge of both sides fighting to haul themselves away from the relegation zone in the Spanish Second Division.