Tenerife returned to action on Sunday for the first time since the death of striker Jesus De Miguel, as players and fans paid emotional tributes to their late teammate before and during a 2-0 win over Ceuta.
De Miguel died on November 3, a day after colliding with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a league match at Tenerife’s home ground.
The Spanish second-division club honoured him at the Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez stadium, where supporters joined players and staff to remember the striker.
Before kick-off, fans and players observed a minute’s silence. A lengthy standing ovation followed. In the ninth minute, the referee stopped play for another round of applause as the stadium screens showed a video of De Miguel.
The tribute formed part of a wider show of respect across Spain. Clubs in the country’s first and second divisions also honoured the striker during matches the previous weekend.
Tenerife fans also unfurled a banner that read: “Jesus De Miguel, 9, eternally blue and white.”
The emotional scenes continued when forward Nacho Gil opened the scoring in the 40th minute. He celebrated by holding up De Miguel’s shirt towards the crowd.
Gil also revealed a message beneath his shirt. It read: “Demi (De Miguel’s nickname), always in our hearts.”
Neal Viereck added a second goal four minutes from time to seal the victory. The result ended Tenerife’s six-match winless run.
Tenerife now sit 14th in the Segunda standings, while Ceuta remain bottom.
The club had postponed its previous fixture against Granada last Saturday following De Miguel’s death. Instead, Tenerife invited supporters to the stadium to pay their respects to the striker.
Players and staff also attended his burial in Navahermosa three days after his death.
Leave a Reply