🇪🇸 Cazorla leads Oviedo back to La Liga, Samp pull off relegation escape, Ghostbuster tours San Mames | VAR

All the football headlines and viral moments you might have missed!

Jun 23, 2025

What’s Santi Cazorla up to these days? Delivering on promotion promises, that’s what!

The former Arsenal playmaker vowed to guide his boyhood club back to La Liga after 24 years in the Spanish lower leagues. He even donated his own money to save them from financial oblivion.

On Saturday, he made good on his promise, scoring in the playoff final to clinch promotion! More below!

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Elsewhere, Sampdoria pulled off a relegation escape, Boca Juniors supporters brought the noise to the Club World Cup and La Familia Azul caused a stir at the Gold Cup.

Let’s take a look at everything 👇

Something promoted ⬆️

13 years ago, Real Oviedo faced a fight for their survival.

Los Azules were on the brink of bankruptcy and needed fans and ex-players to dig deep into their pockets to keep the club afloat. On Sunday, Oviedo won promotion back to La Liga for the first time since 2001!

Cazorla is a boyhood Oviedo fan (he’s also a decent singer - watch the above video!).

When he returned to the club in 2023, he asked to play for free. When league rules wouldn’t allow this, he accepted the minimum wage and donated 10% of his shirt sales to the club’s academy.

Sid Lowe was a key figure in the international campaign to save Real Oviedo and his Guardian column on Real Oviedo’s promotion tells the whole story!

Something back from the dead

Sampdoria will be in Serie B next season after they pulled off an escape Houdini would have been proud of!

A points deduction meted out to Brescia after the last game of the season meant Samp were given the reprieve of a playoff against Salernitana to save themselves.

Samp were 4-0 up on aggregate in Sunday’s playoff second leg when the match was abandoned due to crowd trouble from unhappy Salernitana ultras.

From a points deduction to this, what a bizarre sequence of events, but the final outcome is that Sampdoria will remain in the Italian second tier next season!

Something strange in your neighbourhood 👻

Athletic Club had a special guest this weekend - Bill Murray!

Everyone’s favourite Ghostbuster (maybe Egon?) was given a tour of San Mames and seemed suitably impressed. It’s unclear if he was slimed in the ballroom…

Something red 🔴

Urawa Red Diamonds brought the noise - and colour - to the Club World Cup this weekend!

The J League team led Inter Milan 1-0 until the 78th minute, but ultimately lost 2-1. Heartbreak, but the 5,000 Urawa fans at the game really were red diamonds.

Something on Copacabana 🇧🇷

South American fans are different - and they’re making that clear at the Club World Cup!

Look at how Flamengo supporters celebrated their team beating Chelsea. This wasn’t even at the game - this was on Copacabana Beach!

Something in NYC 🗽

Fluminense were in New York City (which is definitely where MetLife Stadium is located, don’t Google that) to face Ulsan HD on Saturday.

And so were their fans! Is this the first image of a travelling support filling Times Square at the CWC? No. Is it the last one that will make this newsletter?

Almost certainly not.

Something loud 📢

Anything the Brazilian fans at the Club World Cup can do, the Argentines can do better!

Boca Juniors lost to Bayern Munich at Hard Rock Stadium… not that they seemed to care. This is what they were like AFTER the game - imagine they’d won! 👇

Something Tunisian 🇹🇳

Espérance made history at the Club World Cup, beating LAFC to claim their first-ever win in the competition!

The Tunisians brought thousands of fans with them to Nashville. They might not make it out the group, but they had something special to celebrate!

Something in stoppage time

Curaçao has a population of just 150,000 people, but that didn’t stop them taking something off one of the Gold Cup favourites!

This stoppage time equaliser by Jeremy Antonisse snatched a point for La Familia Azul against Canada, and they deserved it! They had another disallowed in the second half!

Something in the locker room

This is a picture of Borussia Dortmund’s bench watching their game against Mamelodi Sundowns from the dressing room because of the heat in Cincinnati.

The heat, for what it’s worth, was 87 degrees (30.5 degrees Celsius)…

Something with nine men

Down to nine men and trailing 2-1 in their U21 Euros quarter-final against Germany, Italy looked dead and buried. Step up Giuseppe Ambrosino!

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The young Napoli forward bent in this freekick in the sixth minute of stoppage time to take the game to extra time! Germany ended up winning 3-2, but what a moment!

Something diplomatic

The BVB embassy was open in Cincinnati for diplomatic matters on Saturday!

Of course, by “diplomatic matters” I mean drinking beer and chanting songs with Borussia Dortmund in town for their Club World Cup game against Mamelodi Sundowns.

Something emotional 🥹

Newly crowned Argentine champions Platense invited fans to pose with the Primera Division trophy and this elderly supporter couldn’t hold back the emotion!

El Calamar had never won the Argentine top division before. This gentleman waited a long time for this moment!

Something on trial

Scottish lower league side Dumbarton played a pre-season friendly against Stirling Albion on Saturday and the team sheet made for interesting reading.

11 trialists in the starting lineup, four on the bench. A big day for the Trialist family!

Something in Japan 🇯🇵

Vissel Kobe came from behind to beat Kawasaki Frontale on Saturday with former Kawasaki player Taisei Miyashiro scoring both goals!

The defending Japanese champions have struggled for their best form in 2025, but this win just about keeps them within touching distance of pace-setters Kashima Antlers.