Sant Andreu and Gràcia shake hands in a derby that Oriol Junqueras likes

BarcelonaJapanese Taito Suzuki, president and majority shareholder of Sant Andreu, is one of the few foreigners in the stands at the Narcís Sala this Sunday. Now that another edition of the Barcelona derby Sant Andreu - Europa has ended, and regardless of whether the crowd was more local or foreign, almost every one of the 6,500 people who filled the stadium had a reason to have a glass of cava after a 1-1 draw that satisfies both teams because it leaves everything open despite keeping Europa at the top of Group 3 of the Second Division RFEF. This intimate and intense bond between the stands and their teams contrasts with what was experienced in another derby played today in Barcelona, Barça-Girona, witnessed in Montjuïc by thousands of tourists who don't care about the result and who cool down the atmosphere of a stadium at the same speed that they help make money in the modern football that they hate so much in Sant Andreu and Gràcia.

The difference was not only felt in the stands, with the Desperdicis of Sant Andreu and the Eskapulats of Europa looking at each other face to face in the Narcís Sala and singing at the same time. The Reapers, which Oriol Junqueras also sang from the stands before kickoff. The Sant Andreu fans have been drinking beers since early morning on Rambla de Fabra i Puig, and Europa brought 800 supporters from Gràcia, who began their expedition to Plaça Raspall and littered the landscape with flares along the way. But the derby was also a derby on the pitch. Intense, imprecise, overexcited, evenly matched. Sant Andreu and Europa have adopted the attitude of Barcelona writer Enrique Vila-Matas, who claims he can joke about anything except football.

The first-leg derby at the Nou Sardenya was inspired by the lost picture Salvador Dalí gave to Sant Andreu, with a barrage of goals, a suspension due to a fallen fence, and the match continuing behind closed doors. Today's match at the Narcís Sala was played more normally. Mendes could have put the home side ahead early on, but fell asleep in the build-up to his duel with Flere, and Álex Cano, the Europa captain, stole the ball from behind. However, the youngest of the Cano brothers, Jordi, was active, crossing the ball past Nil, who put Europa ahead before the half-hour mark.

Sergi Serrano could have started to turn things around in the early stages of the second half, but just as Narcís Sala was celebrating the equalizer, the 25-year-old winger hit the crossbar from inside the box. Later, Jordi Cano could have made the hole bigger, but he missed. And it cost him dearly. In the next move, Neeskens slotted the ball into his own net as he tried to deny a cross from Lucas Viña. From then on, Sant Andreu dominated the game in a dictatorial fashion, and Europa tried tirelessly to force them out of their area. The Graciens side managed to resist.

The draw keeps Europa at the top of Group 3 of the Second RFEF, the only position that grants direct promotion. They still hold a one-point advantage over second-placed Sant Andreu with only five matches remaining. If one or both teams (directly or through the play-offs) advance, there will be time to address the potential problems of their stadiums being made of artificial turf, a surface prohibited in the First RFEF. Sant Andreu and Europa do not deserve an exile that jeopardizes celebrations like this Sunday's.