Newcastle, Lens, Osasuna and Union Berlin, surprises the visitors

This 2023 has been established as a generous year of surprises in the world of men’s professional football. As many as four teams have had exceptional seasons despite the fact that no one expected them at a party usually thrown by the ‘big boys’. neither Newcastle UnitedEdit in Premier, by Lens in Ligue1, neither Osasuna in LaLiga, neither Union Berlin in the Bundesliga they are destined to shine in the sky of the galacticos. But they did it, each in their own way. Let’s go to the parts.

Although he could not replicate the heroics of Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City in 2016, when they became champions of England for the first time in their 132-year history, the Newcastle wrote its own history by finishing 4th in the Premier League in June and, as a result, made it to the Champions League no more and no less than 20 years later. Then, in 2003, the Magpies, led by Sir Bobby Robson on the bench and Alan Shearer on the field, became the first team to progress from the third round, losing their first three games in the group stage. Institutionally questionable for being left in the hands of a multimillion-dollar Saudi fund, sportingly no one can blame him.

He Lens made a splash last summer by finishing second in France, just one point behind mighty PSG. It has not achieved the same goal since 2002, that is, more than two decades had to pass for the modest French team of Loïs Openda – the most famous name of the group, now in Leipzig – to repeat the second place. Then, in 2002, the leaders were Pauleta and Djibril Cissé on the pitch and Joel Muller on the bench and, as now, only one point separated them from being crowned in a championship that ended with Olympique de Lyon. Lens, vice-champion of France in 1956, 1957, 1977, 2002 and 2023, is again approaching the success of 1998, when it was proclaimed as the best in Ligue 1.

Season also fulfilled Osasuna led by Jagoba Arrasate who leads the red team. Sensational league championship where they almost qualified for the Europa League but 7th place gave them access to participate in the Conference League after months of dealing with UEFA due to a history of match-fixing. Historic, then, for Osasuna, its participation in the third European competition and also its milestone in the Copa del Rey. The Pamplona team reached the final for the second time in its history. In 2005 they lost to Betis (1-2) and in 2023, to Real Madrid (2-1).

And very far from Navarra, the Union Berlin He wrote his story by finishing fourth in the Bundesliga and entering the Champions League for the first time in his life with one of the poorest budgets in the German championship. But this is not the first time the team has achieved glory. In the 2018-19 season, the club made history by being promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time, finishing 3rd in the Bundesliga 2 standings. Their qualification for the Champions League was sealed after a 1-0 victory over Werder Bremen on the final day of last season.