AFTER THE BRILLIANT TOUR
— M. Zaragoza | 13/09/1924 —

The players of Real Sociedad, who have set our sports flag so high in their recent excursion through Czechoslovakia and Austria, the culmination of which was their brilliant victory over the Austrian champion, the Wiener Amateur, have been among us since Thursday.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to spend a while with them and we took advantage of the opportunity to ask them their impressions. And all of them, and with them their coach, Mr. Hertzka, gladly offered to satisfy the curiosity of our readers.

— What was the impression you had on Czechoslovakia?

Hertzka: The impression we have could not be better, since we have been showered with entertainment and attention, for which we are very grateful. It's only a pity about the fantastic result obtained by DFC Prag against us, the only mark that tarnishes our satisfaction, which, without it, would be complete.

» Official representations, football clubs, federations and the public came to welcome us at the Prague station in such numbers that without fear of exaggeration I dare to assure you that there were no fewer than 4,000 people. After the usual greetings, I, knowing that my companions spoke only Spanish, prepared to take them away to be able to solve any difficulties that the lack of knowledge of the language might prevent. But it was not possible for me. They had already been surrounded by the public who, without giving them a moment, took them in uninterrupted demonstrations of sympathy, to the Splendid Hotel, the best in Prague, where we have been royally lodged.

— How was the game against Slavia?

Hertzka: The game against Slavia, we were able to at least draw it. This is how it would have been, surely, if Eizaguirre had been in our gate. We started the second half, with the score 2-1 in favor of the Czechs and a few minutes later we had achieved the tie.

» We attacked then, but with little luck, and, on the other hand, Slavia, in two attacks that were not very dangerous, sent two shots that became goals. Barroso, nervous about the importance of the match, lost his much-needed serenity, and two innocent shots, which, I assure you, any other player on the team would have easily blocked, were the two goals that gave Slavia the victory.

» This team plays, it cannot be denied, a lot, but just as we had played the game, I repeat that, at least, we deserved a draw. And let it be noted that no bias can be attributed to the referee, since he refereed perfectly. And there is nothing to talk about the audience, because they continually encouraged us with their applauses. It is true that both teams played with extreme cleanliness, which, for our part, ended up winning our unanimous sympathies.

— And the match against DFC?

Hertzka: That was the fatal afternoon. We went out to the field encouraged, but tired, showing the effects of the game played the previous day. Despite this, the players started very well, but soon became discouraged. An Austrian referee, whom we cannot accuse of bad faith, but of excessive ignorance, considered two goals scored in declared offside as valid. Our team became somewhat demoralized and Barroso's uncertainty increased, something inappropriate for a top player. If we add to this that DFC Prag is the most formidable team you can imagine, you will understand the rest. We reached the break, with 4 goals against and only one in favor.

» And in the second half, despite the fact that during the break I tried to get the players to regain the necessary calm and confidence, Real Sociedad did not exist on the pitch. DFC's team played as much and as they wanted. And believe me, they play for a while.

» The always correct public surely appreciated the abnormality of the catastrophic result and also bid us farewell with affectionate applause.

» There you have the factors that influenced the Gipuzkoa defeat. A formidable enemy, who I do not hesitate to describe as the best team on the continent; an ignorant referee who, with his first mistakes, hurt us by two goals; the fatigue from the game against Slavia; the confusion that took over the players when they were able to appreciate the inefficiency of their goalkeeper and to make matters worse, a very wet field. All of this, accumulated against some boys who, although with an audience that showed their sympathy at every moment, were playing in a strange land and against an irresistible team, caused their demoralization.

» As for DFC Prag, I can assure that it is a team to defeat all the opponents that oppose it, whether it is a national team or a team among the best teams in the first league in England. And in the San Sebastián team there are several of those who fought against the Uruguayans and all of them, with rare unanimity, judge DFC Prag better, whose line of attack stands out greatly, superior to all considerations.

— What was the impression you had on Austria?

Hertzka: We were also given an enthusiastic welcome in Vienna. Our first game, against First Vienna, we had to win for various reasons that I am going to explain to you.

» We almost always dominated, from the beginning of the match. At 37 minutes of play, on the occasion of an attack by the opposing forwards, Eizaguirre made an exit, with such bad luck that a bad gesture caused a sprain in his foot, which forced him to leave.

» Beguiristain took his place in the gate of the San Sebastian team and the referee told him to wear Eizaguirre's jersey to avoid confusion. The business resumed while, and at the moment when Beguiris was putting on his sweater, a silly kick without any danger was directed at his gate and he was unable to jump in to stop it. The Austrians got their only goal. From that moment on, our team, with their backs bunched up, attacked without interruption, reaching a complete bottleneck in the last 20 minutes.

» But the conditions of the ball, extremely light, led to continuous mistakes from our forwards. Campos and Urbina, on several occasions, alone in front of the First Vienna goal, two meters from the gate, sent the ball into the clouds. And what could have been a victory for us, by 4 or 5 goals to one, turned out to be an Austrian victory by a goal.

» The referee, to our complete satisfaction, and the public and opposing players, very correct.

— What about the match against the Austrian champions?

Hertzka: That has been the most dignified finish we aspired to. And at least it will serve to erase the painful impression that I understand our debacle before the DFC Prag would cause in Spain.

» And another opportunity for the Viennese to show their sympathy. Our opponents of the previous day, unable to offer us — due to the misfortune of Eizaguirre — their usual goalkeeper because they had to play against M.T.K. — whom they beat by 6 goals to 4 — offered Pahst to Real Sociedad, the goalkeeper of their reserve team, an offer that was accepted by us with the recognition it deserved.

» Our players took the field ready to win, and they played in an amazing way that admired the public, their opponents and even ourselves. In 25 minutes, they scored three irreproachable goals, dominating significantly despite appearing without Juantegui and without Galdós.

» The crowd, continuously cheering on our team and rewarding the goals with warm ovations. The San Sebastian eleven, somewhat confident in the considerable advantage gained and tired from the effort made and from the previous day's match, slackened somewhat, especially in the second half, and the Wiener Amateur team took advantage of this, playing a lot, especially Schaffer, dominated us in turn, scoring two good goals.

— Do you believe you have made a good impression?

Hertzka: I can assure you, and this is my greatest pride, as the promoter of the excursion, that in both Prague and Vienna, we have left an excellent impression, above all, because of the nobleness of our game. And we can say the same about our opponents, who have behaved chivalrously towards our players on every occasion.

» The best proof of what I say can be found in the Austrian press, which after describing the match with First Vienna as "an unpopular victory for First Vienna" and emphasising that Real Sociedad should have won by at least 4 goals, points out as a nice note that no intentional fouls were punished during the match.

» In its commentary on the games played by the Gipuzkoans in Vienna, the Austrian press says that after watching the Spaniards play, they do not understand the fantastic result in Prague, against DFC Prag, and cannot attribute it to the reinforcement of Urbina and Eizaguirre alone — that of the latter more nominal than effective — and that the abundance of so many against Real Sociedad must be sought for other reasons.

» They say, in summary, that although the top Austrian teams do not have to learn anything from the Spaniards, they also have nothing to teach them, and that the San Sebastian team can without fear face the best teams. Then adds that these matches have increased the desire in the Central countries to admire other Spanish teams, and especially Zamora, whose fame has reached there.