2022: A year in sport

Team triumphs in Spain, and especially Malaga province, have come in basketball and handball among others, but football has given little joy

SUR

Friday, 30 December 2022, 13:30

Opciones para compartir

Basketball

Spain win EuroBasket 2022

The end of the summer brought the greatest celebration of the year, especially for basketball fans. Spain lifting the EuroBasket trophy in Berlin came with special joy locally as one of the stars of the tournament was Malaga's own Alberto Díaz, who plays for the city's Unicaja club. He had been dropped from the initial selection, but was called in by coach Sergio Scariolo at the last minute following an injury. Spain's victory showed that even with this new generation of players and the absence of some big names, La Roja can still compete with the best in basketball.

Handball

Costa del Sol, queens of the court

The local women's handball side, now known as the Costa del Sol due to their tourist board sponsors, have continued their success story this year. They won the Copa de la Reina (Queen's Cup) in May and finished second in the league which opened the doors to the EHF (European Handball Federation) League. They also finished runners-up in the EHF Cup.

Football

Spain get no further than World Cup round of 16

Spain's hopes to lift a second World Cup in Qatar this autumn were shattered when La Roja were knocked out by Morocco in the round of 16. The country's top football tier, La Liga, was strongly represented in the final, however, with several of the winning Argentinian side playing for Spanish clubs.

Football

Annus horribilis for Malaga CF

This has been Malaga CF's annus horribilis if ever there was one. In the first half of 2022, the Blue and Whites struggled to avoid relegation from Spain's second division, finishing in the last safe place on the table (18th). In the new season that kicked off in the summer they have been incapable of getting back on the right track and are currently still fighting for a way out of the relegation danger zone.

In the last 12 months, Malaga CF have had four head coaches: José Alberto López, Natxo González, Pablo Guede and Pepe Mel, who remains at the helm in what is hoped to be a new year of improvement.

Tennis

Canada lift Davis Cup in Malaga

Hosting the final of the Davis Cup in November was one of the highlights on the Costa del Sol's sporting calendar for 2022. Spain, missing young world number one Carlos Alcaraz through injury, were knocked out in the quarter finals, and Canada lifted the cup, thanks to star player Felix Auger Aliassime.

Individual merit

Local talent on an international level

Malaga sports people to have shone in 2022 include Alejandro Davidovich (tennis), Natalia Fischer (mountain bike) and Sarah Almagro (para surfing), among others.

Noticia Relacionada