European Football Weekends: Zonal Marking in Barcelona Zonal Marking in Barcelona Have I Got Nous For You Michael Cox of Zonal Marking fame puts down his chalkboard to head to Barcelona.... Well, I must say, I’m rather disappointed. We’ve come all this way to Barcelona to see a game at the Nou, and it’s not what I expected. OK, the little number 6 is controlling things from the centre of midfield, and the number 10 is a threat upfront, but it’s a tiny little ground and it’s not even full. Mes Que Un Club, seriously? Only joking! We are indeed in Barcelona for a football match, but this is not the Nou Camp, it’s the Nou Sardenya, home of CE Europa. Europa can’t make any claim to being ‘more than a club’ – they compete in the Tercera Division, the fourth level of the Spanish pyramid, in one of eighteen regional groups. Me enjoying a San Miguel CE Europa 3-0 Palamós (20:03:11) The club has a proud history, however.

Their glory years came nearly 90 years ago when they won the Championat de Catalunya and were Copa del Rey runners-up in the same season, but after decades in the wilderness, they won the Copa de Catalunya back-to-back in the mid 1990s, beating the mighty FC Barcelona in the final both times. For Barcelona, it was very much a lesser competition and a reserve side was fielded on both occasions, but look at their line-up for the second final, in 1997/98, and it’s still packed with big names - Hesp, Couto, Bogarde, Reiziger, Amor (Sergi), Roger, Oscar (Xavi), Giovanni, Mario, Pizzi (Anderson), Jofre (De la Peña). To beat those players is remarkable achievement for a little club like Europa. Their opponents today are the rather less illustrious Palamos. Palamos have brought a travelling army of seven supporters, two of whom look like girlfriends of two of the other five – the girls sit together talking, paying little attention to the game but enjoying the San Miguel from Europa’s quaint little clubhouse in the corner of the ground.

The Palamos squad emerges from the tunnel, and with more players than fans, it’s a slightly bizarre pre-match ovation between the two. Europa come out a couple of minutes later. I immediately like their kit – white with a blue ‘V’ across the front, reminiscent of the Brescia away kit sported by Roberto Baggio in his final seasons as a professional. More significantly, in the wake of the previous week’s tsunami, the Europa players are carrying a Japanese flag, and pose with it for the team photo. There’s also a minute’s silence before kick-off. Europa emerge with their Japanese flag (Incidentally, this week Richard Littlejohn wrote a column in the Daily Mail on the subject of the tsunami, claiming we shouldn’t feel sympathy for Japan, because of events that happened in a war some 70 years ago, in classic Littlejohn ‘try and turn topical event into cause for race hate’ fashion. If you missed it, choice quote – “Before every one of the weekend’s Premier League football matches, for instance, fans were forced to stand and observe a minute’s silence for Japan. Why?... Of course, there is a commercial incentive here for the Premier League.

No doubt the Japanese TV rights are up for renegotiation soon.” Well, I doubt there’s much demand in Japan for television rights for the Spanish fourth division. Maybe people simply want to show respect? Football is actually very good at this sort of thing – more on that later.) The sensible older fans in the seats with their newspapers Anyway, there was a lovely atmosphere around the ground. Before kick off, the stand was populated mainly by elderly locals who sat reading the club’s free Catalan language newspaper, but the ground filled up as the game went on – with younger fans, families, groups of girls. There’s a reason for that - immediately after this match, first Europa’s juniors and then their women’s side plays in the same ground – it’s essentially a whole Sunday of football for the price of a single admission, and with the fantastic weather and cheap drinks on offer, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable experience simply sitting on the warm steps and casually watching.

I recalled reading an interview with youth coach Pavl Williams on Tom Williams’ (no relation) excellent blog, where he said (excuse the long quote): “Spain, Italy and France have all won World Cups in the last 15 years and I don’t think it’s any coincidence that these countries have more community-focused sport programmes than we do here. For example, I went to watch some junior teams in Catalonia last year and remarked on how smart the teams looked in their full matching kit and tracksuits (they were about nine years old). A friend of mine who lived in the area picked up on this and informed me that the boys all arrived on their own team bus, having been picked up from their deportivo in the middle of their town where hundreds of locals regularly turn up to watch them play. The boys weren’t playing at any sort of high standard, but the sports club was a symbol of pride for the local population and they backed it heavily. In turn the local government provides superb facilities including great playing surfaces and top coaching.

This is all part of a national strategy for sport development that has a strong vision of how their football should be played.” From only three hours sitting in the sun at the Sardenya, the family spirit around the stadium was obvious, and Europa hold a place in the local community that equivalent sized clubs in England can only dream of. Half time meant a chance for some kids to run around on the pitch There were still some proper ultras, however. Europa (like many Spanish clubs) have a designated plonker who stands behind one of the goals and chants songs throughout the game through a tannoy (“Public address system. Tannoy is a brandname.” /Partridge). I say songs – often this seemed to descend into making noises in the vague tune of a classic chant, particularly the one to the tune of ‘Go West’ by the Pet Shop Boys. He was accompanied by a hardcore of about twelve, one of whom set off a ridiculously loud firecracker a mere thirty seconds after the minute’s silence had ended. Boom! I’d never been to a non-league game abroad before, and was very impressed by the football on show.

Not necessarily by the quality itself – there were wayward passes aplenty and some terrible set-pieces – but by the intention to play good football. Europa insisted on trying to play short goal-kicks from the back – there was never a desire to hit long balls, and an artificial surface (which was watered before both halves) kept the game flowing nicely. The standout player was the Europa number six, Ivan Alvarez, who played in front of the back four and sprayed passes from flank to flank – kind of an amateur version of Xabi Alonso, though with the appearance of Daniele De Rossi. The ultras celebrate the first goal – firecracker man can be seen getting his matches out again in the top left Europa raced into a 1-0 lead in the first few minutes, before Palamos went down to ten men later in the first period, which rather killed the game as a spectacle. There was still time for two more Europa goals, however – the second was superb, a long passing move worked its way like a rugby attack from left to right until the player at the far post, Remo, found himself in space.

He brought the ball back inside, beat two players, before slotting a shot past the Pepe Reina lookalike in goal. By the time 90 minutes came, the game was long over as a contest – but, as the spectators remained in their seats or moved to the clubhouse, the day’s action at the Sardenya had only just begun. Barcelona 2-1 Getafe (19:03:11) I was one of 850 supporters at the Sardenya – the previous night at the Camp Nou, there were one hundred times more people around me, for Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Getafe. I’d been told not to expect much of an atmosphere at the Nou Camp, that the ground was essentially another tourist stop these days – great against the top teams and for the derby against Espanyol, but soulless and quiet for the normal matches. Getafe falls into the category of a ‘normal’ opponent. This was not a normal match for Barcelona fans, though. The previous Tuesday, French defender Eric Abidal received devastating news – doctors had found a tumor on his liver.

As a result, this game was about Abidal – the fans flocked to the stadium to put up banners wishing him well, both sets players emerged from the tunnel wearing t-shirts saying ‘We love you, Abi’, and before the game a video was played of Abidal’s memorable moments in a Barca shirt. There was a solid three minutes of applause whilst this played, tears from some fans around us, obvious emotion from the players. Xavi told El Mundo Deportivo that hearing the news was the worst moment he’d experienced in his career, the lowest he’d seen a dressing room – and we can assume the rest of the playing squad felt the same. Abidal watched the match from his hospital bed across the city, having undergone an operation on Thursday – Barca, of course, wanted to win for him. This, I can assure you, was the very opposite of a ‘soulless’ sporting atmosphere. The Camp Nou The game itself was decent – Barcelona played great football but wasted too many chances, and Getafe got a late goal which caused panic around the stadium.

We were sat in the right-back spot for the first half, so were in a good position to watch Dani Alves – though of course, he spent most of his time much higher up the pitch. I’ve outlined before how important Alves is to Barcelona, and sampling his pace and stamina from close quarters was great. He is nothing if not entertaining – within seconds of the start he committed a terrible late tackle on Getafe’s left winger and got himself booked, but midway through the first half he opened the scoring with an absolutely sensational swerving half-volley from 25 yards that flew into the top corner. It was an exceptional goal. The main man, of course, was Lionel Messi. As someone who spends his time writing about tactics, I’m wary about talking too much about the football on the pitch in this piece. A large part of what makes EFW great is the detail about what happens off it – but I must make an exception for Messi, simply because he’s the best player I’ve ever seen play. You can rest assured that if I had encountered the best burger, pint glass, ticket stub, crowd chant or toilet roll holder I’ve ever seen, I’d discuss those too.

Messi took my breath away twice in the first half – first with a clever flicked pass by the corner flag, played by one foot, off another, into the path of his teammate, and then again with a Zidane-style pirouette to win the ball in a 50-50 challenge. On another two occasions he did things that were so good I laughed out loud – before half time he picked up the ball on the left of the box and dribbled all the way to the right looking for a pass. Seconds later he got the ball once more, and dribbled all the way back to the left again. In the second half, he won possession on the halfway line and was fouled at least twice on his way to goal, but managed to keep his balance and, even more amazingly , the ball. Two things struck me about him physically. One, his amazing upper body strength which helps him hold off defenders and keep on running. In an age where so many attacking players are content to fall to the floor and buy a free kick, it’s brilliant to watch Messi relentlessly hold onto the ball, like a kid in the playground who knows there’s no referee to give a foul, and so has to play on.

Secondly, a strange one – his ability to stop quickly. He can be running at full speed and then suddenly puts the brakes on, coming to a halt within two yards. Because of that, he gets to loose balls first, and his movement becomes even more difficult to pick up. He didn’t score, but he was wonderful. Ludicrously, in the newspaper Sport, a readers’ poll published on the Monday showed he only received 8% of votes as Barca’s best player. That only sums up how much is expected of him, as he was the best player on show by a distance. The final relevant football trip in Barcelona was the journey up to Montjuic, a large hill in the south of the city. This area has considerable historic significance – most notably, the President of Catalunya, Lluis Companys, was executed at the castle by the Franco regime in 1940. Some 150 years earlier, the fortress at Montjuic was crucial in determining the length of the prototype metre – two French astronomers measured the distance from Dunkirk to Montjuic (the two are on the same longitude), and the ‘metre’ was decided as being one ten-millionth of that distance.

Remember this – it will come up in a pub quiz one day… The Olympic Stadium Companys was commemorated by having the stadium at the top of the hill named after him, which was used by RCD Espanyol, the city’s ‘second’ football club, from 1997 to 2009. It’s more famous for being the main stadium in the 1992 Olympics, though, and you’ll probably recognise the part of the stadium that holds the Olympic torch – famously lit by an Olympian archer firing an arrow into it in the opening ceremony. The Olympic torch The surrounding area formed the main Olympic Park for the 1992 games. It’s a strange, mysterious, slightly eerie complex. The Olympic Stadium sits at the top of the hill as the centre point, and is in decent shape - good enough to have hosted last year’s European Athletics Championships, in fact. Down the hill is the Palau Saint Jordi, which hosted the gymnastics, volleyball and handball events nineteen years ago, and now is an O2-style multipurpose venue, most frequently used for concerts.

Across from that are the Piscines Bernat Picornell – an outdoor pool which appears abandoned, and an indoor pool which I thought was the same, until I saw three fully nude old men sitting on the side of the largest pool. I didn’t take photos. There’s also an Olympic Museum up there (though it was closed when we went, on the Sunday), and a large plaque recalling the years when the Spanish Grand Prix was held on a Montjuic Street Circuit – which looked a bloody brilliant track, but bloody dangerous too – two-time Emerson Fittipaldi withdrew from the 1975 event because of safety concerns, and he was sadly provided right, as five spectators died following a huge crash. The race never returned to Montjuic. The old Grand Prix circuit It’s a fascinating place to visit, but as a Londoner visiting an expensively-assembled but largely desolate Olympic Park, it does make you worry… West Ham fans would be interested in Espanyol’s decision to move away from the Companys, too. It says a lot about football that the stadium is considered fit for European athletics’ most prestigious event, but not good enough for a mid-table club with modest ambitions.

The stadium has a certain charm about it, but the running track and inaccessible location mean it’s simply not a football stadium. 20,000 people in a 55,000 stadium looked terrible. Espanyol now play at the Cornellà-El Prat, a proper football stadium located outside the city, not far from the main airport. The supporters are much closer to the pitch and much more numerous. Everyone’s happy. The one shame is that the new stadium has not been named after Dani Jarque, the Espanyol captain who suddenly died of a heart attack aged 26, in the same month the club played their first game at the new ground. I hardly need to tell you that Barcelona is a fabulous city – fantastic architecture, famous museums, great food. Most of what I got up to can be found in your standard guide book. However, as a British male, and therefore seeing any foreign landform as something of a challenge, I’d recommend climbing up Mount Tibatabo, previously only known to me because it was part of a joke in an episode of Friends.

It’s to the north of the city, and most people get up there by taking a tram and then a ‘funicular’ (a type of shuttle train), but if you like a mildly challenging climb, give it a go. I couldn't find any instructions about how to get up there on foot on the whole internet, so here's a quick guide - take the Metro to Penitents, and cross the main road onto the Carreterra de Sant Cugat, the mountain road. Head up that for about 20 minutes, past a road on your right and past a couple of abandoned-looking restaurants on your left, then take a path on the left, which runs past an old house on your right. Continue upon that path until you get to a road, and when a sign points you turn right and join the mountain road, carry on along the path to the left of centre, which takes you directly to the top. The ground is occasionally very steep and unstable, so wearing walking boots is very important - and the path was completely deserted from the bottom to the top, so probably not best to do it alone, It took about 90 minutes from the Metro to the summit.

At the top is, bizarrely, an almost completely empty theme park - the oldest amusement park in Spain, apparently, and seemingly retaining most of the original rides. Dominoes and dice on a game of chess? This is what happens when you bring up a generation with those '99 board games in one' sets The park isn't worth bothering with, but the beautiful church, the Sagrat Cor, certainly is. Slightly strangely, you can get a lift to the top - and then after climbing some spiral steps, you reach the highest point for mile around - and all your climbing is rewarded with this stunning view over Barcelona... We drifted somewhat from football here, so to round this report off, here's a picture of the Olympic Stadium (just right of centre, near the coast) and the Nou Camp (dead centre) from the top of the Sagrat Cor.. Most people I've spoken to seem to have been to Barcelona already - if you haven't, I'd fully recommend it.

Soccer Capsules: Cruz Azul and Monterrey to play for Mexican title - Brownsville Herald: Sports Soccer Capsules: Cruz Azul and Monterrey to play for Mexican title - Brownsville Herald: Sports This week, a jury consisting of residents from Nueces County will decide whether Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector Tony Yzaguirre Jr. is guilty. Posted: January 21 SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Authorities in the Dominican Republic say that Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura and former major leaguer Andy Marte both have died in separate traffic accidents. Updated: 11:45 am Soccer Capsules: Cruz Azul and Monterrey to play for Mexican title Associated Press | MEXICO CITY — Monterrey and Cruz Azul will meet in next week's Mexican Apertura championship final after coming through the semifinals in contrasting styles. Monterrey, which had beaten Toluca 2-0 in the first leg, settled for a 1-1 draw in Sunday's away leg to reach the final with a 3-1 aggregate win.

Cruz Azul, which had drawn 0-0 with Morelia in their first meeting, rallied for a 2-1 victory on Saturday to secure its place in the Apertura decider. Monterrey, which took care of America in the first round, defeated the team with the best record in the regular season. Abraham Carreno gave Monterrey the lead in the 71st minute on Sunday, before Isaac Brizuela leveled for Toluca in the 80th. Monterrey will play for its first title since the 2003 Clausura and only the third in the club's history. "I have always done things the right way and thank God everything is going great for this group...there are so many work hours involved", Monterrey manager Victor Manuel Vucetich said. Vucetich, a three time Mexican champion with Tecos, Pachuca and Leon, added: "We are going to play for another crown ...we are already there, now let's enjoy it." Toluca paid the price for a lack of goals in the playoffs. Having scored 32 goals in 17 regular season matches, the team managed to score just two in four playoff games.

In Saturday's game, Miguel Sabah put Morelia ahead in 49th minute, but Javier Orozco equalized in the 58th and Argentine Emanuel Villa scored the winner in the 65th to secure Cruz Azul's third final in the last four seasons. "It means a lot because I was raised as a player and manager in Cruz Azul and I would love nothing more than to give them a championship," said Enrique Meza, who failed to get the team past the quarterfinals in his three previous stints as Cruz Azul manager. "I arrived here when I was 18 years old, I became a man here." Cruz Azul, which is the fourth most successful team in Mexico with eight championships, will try to end a 12-year spell without a title. "We are in the final, and deservedly so," Meza said. "It was a tough season but we finished on a good run and now we need to take care of another great opponent before the celebration." The two legs of the final are scheduled for Thursday and Sunday, subject to confirmation by the Mexican football federation on Monday. U.S.

College Tar Heels win 21st championship COLLEGE STATION — Anson Dorrance has been cochng te am sstm t orh arlia or31yers ad e' certinly not going to change anything now. The Tar Heels earned their second straight and 21st overall national championship on Sunday, beating Stanford 1-0 in the final of the Women's College Cup. Jessica McDonald scored in the third minute and North Carolina's smothering defense hung on from there. "We've tried to design a system that's difficult to play against," Dorrance said. "That system is predicated on work ethic and high pressure. It's hard for other teams to replicate that in practice. Often times, even when a quality team plays us for the first time, it's a bit of a shock." The Tar Heels (23-3-1) have won six NCAA titles since 1999, three times as many as any other team overall. The program has produced some of the game's all-time scorers, led by Mia Hamm.

But the defense has always been a cornerstone, and the Tar Heels finished the latest championship season with their 10th shutout in the last 11 games. Stanford, the nation's second-highest scoring team, mustered only nine shots. "We don't change our system for anybody," said senior Whitney Engen, voted the tournament's most outstanding defensive player. "We know, in order to make everything function and play the game we want to play, we have to trust in our line and play the system we've played all year." Stanford (25-1) failed in its bid to join North Carolina as the only teams to finish a perfect season — no losses or ties — with a championship. The Tar Heels have done that four times (1991-93, 2003). The Cardinal generated only two shos in thefisthaf nd cul hrdy trngmoe ha to asestoeter. North Carolina goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris made only two saves all day and the Tar Heels finished their 19th shutout in 27 games. "North Carolina does a great job of pressuring and swarming the ball," Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe said.

"It's easy to talk about as a coach, what you need to do. But it's difficult in there. It was hard for us to get into a rhythm and play our type of soccer." Stanford had trailed in five games this season. But the comeback hopes in this one virtually ended when Kelley O'Hara, the nation's leading goal scorer, was issued her second yellow card — an automatic ejection — with 17:45 left in the game. That left short-handed Stanford's chances of a rally to second-leading scorer Christen Press, and she nearly tied it with a 20-yard shot that Harris punched away. Press also broke through the defense in the 88th minute, firing a long shot past Harris for an apparent tying goal, but linesman Martik Mirikian called her offside. Press didn't complain about the call after the game. Stanford was flagged for six offsides calls, part of the Tar Heels' defensive plan. "We stuck to our system," senior defender Kristi Eveland said. "We did draw a line high and we've been playing that way all year." Stanford was the 12th team to enter the College Cup with a perfect record.

Last year, Notre Dame came in at 25-0 before losing 2-1 to North Carolina in the final. Casey Nogueira, who assisted on the goal, was the tournament's most outstanding offensive player. She fed McDonald with a high, bndngpas nt te oa aea ad cDnad usedintochp t past oalkeeper Kira Maker. Nogueira scored the goal in North Carolina's 1-0 win over Notre Dame in the semifinals. The Tar Heels held the Cardinal without a shot for the first 17 minutes. O'Hara and Press hardly touched the ball in the first half, and the Tar Heels swarmed them every time they did. "It was really disruptive," Press said of the Tar Heels' defense. "I felt like we had so many open players and we were just struggling to get them the ball." Press finally found some room late in the first half and sent a perfect cross to Courtney Verloo for an apparent goal with about 6 minutes left. Mirikian called Stanford offside on the play and the goal was negated. North Carolina outshot Stanford 10-2 and had a 7-0 edge in corner kicks in the first half.

The Cardinal's offense was crisper after the break, and Stanford generated its first corner kick 6 minutes into the second half. O'Hara and Press got free for long shots over the goal in the next 10 minutes. O'Hara then earned her second yellow card when she knocked down Engen. The players in the final game dealt with persistent rain and unseasonably cold weather. The temperature at kickoff was 48 degrees, up from the mid-30s for Friday's semifinals. -- Chris Duncan League Roundups Spurs throws away 2-goal lead to draw at Everton LONDON — Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe missed a stoppage time penalty as his side threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with a struggling Everton side in the Premier League on Sunday. Defoe had put Spurs ahead two minutes into the second half and Michael Dawson doubled their advantage with more than half an hour remaining at Goodison Park. But substitute striker Louis Saha began Everton's comeback with a 78th-minute goal and Australian midfielder Tim Cahill grabbed the equalizer on his 30th birthday to end the club's three-match losing streak in the league.

"We've had a bit of bad luck so it was nice to get that draw," Cahill said. "We tried our hardest. We went down, picked ourselves up and Tim Howard produced a great save and I guess there's a bit of justice." Referee Andre Marriner gave Spurs a chance to reclaim the lead when he penalized Tony Hibbert for fouling Wilson Palacios in the penalty area. But Defoe saw his tame spot kick saved by goalkeeper Tim Howard, who the striker could face again in England's World Cup opener against the United States next June. "There looked to be only one winner. It was game over as we looked to be in control and I couldn't see any way we weren't going to go on and win," Spurs manager Harry Redknapp said. "We had chances to go 3-0 up and then they pulled a goal back. It was poor defending, we got sucked in and then suddenly the crowd get a lift." The draw kept Tottenham in fourth place, one point behind Arsenal, which has a game in hand over its north London rival. In Sunday's other match, Fulham moved back into the top half of the standings by beating Sunderland 1-0.

Chelsea's lead at the top was trimmed to two points Saturday when Carlo Ancelotti's side lost 2-1 at Manchester City and second-place Manchester United won 4-0 at West Ham. While Chelsea and United have broken away from the chasing pack, Arsenal and Tottenham have stiff competition for the next two Champions League spots. Since Spurs thrashed Wigan 9-1, they have now drawn twice and it took them until the start of the second half to finally breach the defense of injury-hit Everton. Aaron Lennon whipped in a cross from the right and Defoe nipped in front of Hibbert, who was slow to react, at the near post to score his 12th league goal of the season. And from Niko Kranjcar's 59th-minute corner, Lucas Neill allowed Dawson to escape him in the penalty area and the center back dived low to score in successive league matches. The goal prompted a double attack-minded change from Everton manager David Moyes, with Saha and Ayegbeni Yakubu replacing Jo and Jack Rodwell.

Gareth Bale came close to curling in Tottenham's third from a free kick, but then was easily beaten back in defense by 21-year-old right back Seamus Coleman. The defender crossed to Saha, who beat goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes at the near post. Saha went close to leveling with an overhead kick, but Cahill succeeded with a low header from Leighton Baines' cross in the 86th minute to earn Everton's first point since October. The club lies 15th in the standings with 16 points, three points above the relegation zone. Spurs are awaiting to discover the extent of Palacios' rib injury after the Honduras midfielder was taken to hospital following the clash with Hibbert which led to the penalty. At Craven Cottage, former Tottenham striker Bobby Zamora exploited poor defending to meet John Pantsil's cross in the seventh minute and score his sixth goal of the season. "In the first half he was magnificent, in the second half he didn't get the service. But he was a constant thorn in Sunderland's side," Fulham manager Roy Hodgson said.

"I thought his performance was good throughout and he was a major factor in our victory." The victory lifts Fulham above Sunderland to eighth in the standings, two points below Liverpool. -- Rob Harris Villarreal beats Getafe, Valencia beats Bilbao MADRID — A late goal by Joan Capdevila gave 10-man Villarreal a 3-2 win over Getafe in the Spanish league on Sunday, while Valencia rose to third place by beating Athletic Bilbao 2-1. Capdevila swept in Diego Godin's pass to score his second goal of the match in the 87th minute, as the home side came from behind for an unlikely victory. Both teams had plenty of chances in an open and fast-paced game, with Getafe going ahead in the fourth minute when Ricardo Leon pounced on a poor clearance to score. Getafe's counter attacks contrasted with Villarreal's trademark short-passing play and the hosts responded in the 17th minute when Capdevila fired a long-range shot into top-left corner. Villarreal was reduced to 10 men at the start of the second half when Ruben "Cani" Garcia was unlucky to be sent off.

The midfielder was pushed while tracking back and stumbled, tripping up Francisco Casquero. Roberto Soldado scored his eighth league goal of the season from the ensuing penalty. At 2-1 up, Getafe appeared to have the game under control. But Spain midfielder Santiago Cazorla replaced Roberto Pires in the 67th minute and almost immediately knocked the ball into the air with his left foot on the edge of the area before smashing home with his right to equalize. Capdevila later added the winner before Villarreal went down to nine men, Angel Lopez receiving his second yellow card in injury time. The result lifts Villarreal into 11th place on 15 points. Getafe is ninth on 18 points. At the San Mames stadium, Bilbao was the better side in the first half against Valencia although it struggled to carve out clear chances. The hosts' attack was blunted when striker Fernando Llorente was replaced by Oscar de Marcos after 30 minutes because of an injury. However, the introduction of teenage striker Iker Muniain after halftime jump-started the game.

Muniain put Bilbao ahead in the 58th when he controlled a rebound from Cesar Sanchez's save and shot home from close range. The 16-year-old Muniain became the youngest scorer in league history earlier this year with a goal against Valladolid. Last week, Bilbao signed the player to a long-term deal that keeps him with the Basque club through 2015. Valencia's David Villa equalized three minutes later from Pablo Hernandez's cross. Bilbao was reduced to 10 men when Koikili Lertxundi was sent off for a second yellow card with 20 minutes to go. Valencia made the advantage count when Jeremy Mathieu followed up on a save by Bilbao keeper Gorka Iraizoz and drove home with his left foot. Bilbao was awarded a dubious penalty five minutes from the end when Javi Martinez fell on contact with David Navarro's arm, although David Lopez hit the post. "We're very happy because we have had some big wins recently at difficult places like this," said Villa, on Valencia moving above Sevilla in the standings to 28 points. Bilbao remains in eighth place on 20.

Barcelona leads the standings with 36 points, five more than second-place Real Madrid but having played a game more. Earlier, Aritz Aduriz scored twice to help Mallorca beat Zaragoza 4-1, while Racing Santander defeated Espanyol 4-0 with two goals from Sergio Canales. Aduriz put Mallorca ahead late in the first half following a defensive mix-up by Zaragoza and the striker then lobbed onrushing goalkeeper Javier Lopez in the second half. Mario Suarez headed in Borja Valero's cross 15 minutes from the end and Alhassane Keita slotted home the fourth. A lackluster Zaragoza cut the deficit with a late goal from Ander Herrera. Mallorca stayed in sixth place and Zaragoza is 15th. At the Cornella-El Prat stadium, Canales was driving force behind Santander's win. The midfielder assisted Henrique early in the second half before scoring twice himself. Mohamed Tchite converted from the penalty spot in the 69th.

The win lifts Santander one place to 18th on 10 points and Espanyol is 12th on 13 points. In other games, Tenerife beat Sporting Gijon 2-1, and Malaga drew 1-1 with Osasuna. On Saturday, Lionel Messi scored twice to lead Barcelona to a 3-1 win over Deportivo La Coruna, and Real Madrid rallied to beat Almeria 4-2 after late goals from Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. Atletico Madrid beat Xerez 2-0, and Sevilla drew 1-1 with Valladolid. -- Guy Hedgecoe Roma beats Lazio 1-0 in derby after suspension ROME — Marco Cassetti scored in the 79th minute to give AS Roma a 1-0 victory over Lazio in a Rome derby on Sunday that was marred by a brief first-half suspension due to exploding firecrackers in the stands. Referee Nicola Rizzoli stopped play in the 13th minute, and explosions continued during and after the nearly 10-minute suspension despite an announcement asking fans to behave.

It was Cassetti's first goal since the 2006-07 season. "This is the ultimate for a Roma player," said Cassetti, who celebrated by knocking over advertising boards lining the field. In an earlier match, French striker Jonathan Biabiany scored his first two goals in Serie A to earn Parma a 2-2 draw at Genoa and move his side up to fourth place in the standings. Parma, which was in Serie B last season, has 25 points — one more than Fiorentina, Roma, Genoa and Sampdoria. Fourth place will be rewarded with the final Champions League spot in Italy at the end of the season. Inter Milan leads with 35 points, AC Milan is next with 31 and Juventus has 30. Juventus beat Inter 2-1 Saturday and Milan routed Sampdoria 3-0. The interruption at the Stadio Olimpico ruined the flow of play just as both sides were beginning to settle down and neither squad threatened in the first half.

The game began to heat up after the break and Lazio forward Mauro Zarate hit the post in the 60th minute and Roma goalkeeper Julio Sergio made a good save on the ensuing rebound from Stefano Mauri. Roma midfielder Simone Perrotta had a chance in the 67th but Lazio goalkeeper Fernando Muslera tipped his shot over the bar. A cross from Mirko Vucinic set up substitute Cassetti's match-winner from the middle of the area. Cassetti came on at the end of the first half to replace defender Philippe Mexes, who left with an apparent injury. Norway left back John Arne Riise nearly made it 2-0 for Roma five minutes from the end but Muslera again managed to save. Roma was reduced to 10 men in the 88th minute when David Pizarro picked up his second yellow card. Parma's 21-year-old goalscorer Biabiany was also in the second division last season, having scored eight goals for Modena.

Rodrigo Palacio opened the scoring for Genoa in the 14th minute, but Biabiany slid the ball past the goalkeeper from the middle of the area to equalize in the 36th and put Parma ahead with another effort from inside the area in the 59th before Raffaele Palladino leveled for Genoa with a low shot from distance eight minutes later. Fiorentina labored to a 2-0 win over Atalanta, with Italy center forward Alberto Gilardino sealing the victory with an 89th-minute strike after Atalanta was reduced to 10 men. Juan Vargas put the Tuscan club ahead in the 26th minute. Napoli is eighth with 23 points after Fabio Quagliarella scored twice and set up the other goal as his side came from behind for a 3-2 victory over Bari, which ended with nine men. Goals from Adailton and Marco Di Vaio gave Bologna a 2-1 victory over Udinese, which replied with Antonio Di Natale's 11th goal of the season to lead the Serie A scoring chart.

Palermo rallied from a goal down to beat in-form Cagliari 2-1 with goals from Igor Budan and Danish defender Simon Kjaer. Chievo Verona finished a 2-0 winner over Livorno after the Tuscan club's captain Cristiano Lucarelli was sent off for protesting early on, while Siena beat Catania 3-2 in a match between the two teams at the bottom of the standings. -- Andrew Dampf Lille stuns Lyon 4-3 in French league PARIS — Ivory Coast forward Gervinho scored a stoppage-time winner as Lille stormed back from 3-1 down to beat Lyon 4-3 in the French league on Sunday. Lille's Eden Hazard stole the ball from Francois Clerc before providing the cross for Gervinho to score his second goal of the game, beating keeper Hugo Lloris with a low shot in the second minute of added time. "It's my best match of the season," Gervinho told Canal Plus television. "I'm proud of my performance." Lille climbed to 10th place with 22 points from 15 matches while Lyon slipped to fourth place with 26 points, trailing Bordeaux by five points.

The defending champion consolidated its lead Saturday with a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain. Elsewhere on Sunday, Nancy secured a 3-1 upset win over Auxerre to end a three-game losing streak, Grenoble beat Toulouse 1-0 to earn its first win of the season and 10-man Boulogne came from behind to edge Lens 2-1. A hat trick from Argentine forward Lisandro Lopez in the opening 35 minutes was still not enough to power Lyon to victory as Lille exposed the weaknesses of the visiting side's defense. "We did not have the control of the match," Lloris told Canal Plus television. "It's too bad. We got off to a great start. We had a two-goal lead. But in the end we lost the match." Sweden midfielder Kim Kallstrom held off a challenge from Aurelien Chedjou to feed Lopez inside the box and the Argentine forward chipped goalkeeper Mickael Landreau to open the scoring after just two minutes. Lille nearly leveled in the ninth when Lyon defender Cris deflected a cross from Gervinho but Lloris palmed the goalbound ball away to safety.

Lyon defender Lamine Gassama then came to the France goalkeeper's rescue, clearing a header from Pierre-Alain Frau off the line. Lopez made it 2-0 in the 22nd minute from the penalty spot after Ludovic Obraniak had raised his arms to protect his face and handled a free kick from Bosnia playmaker Miralem Pjanic. Lille pulled a goal back in the 24th when Frau headed home a rebound after Lloris had blocked a header from Yohan Cabaye. But Kallstrom released Lopez down the left flank soon afterwards and the Argentine striker cut inside, dribbling past Adil Rami to fire a low drive inside the near post. In the second half, Lille put the Lyon defense under sustained pressure. An early reward came when Gervinho outpaced defender Jean-Alain Boumsong to collect a long pass from Rio Mavuba and beat Lloris with a chip from a tight angle in the 54th minute. Another followed in the 69th when Gassama tripped Mathieu Debuchy inside the area and Cabaye sent Lloris the wrong way with the resulting penalty to make it 3-3.

Lloris kept Lyon in the game with his heroics. He prevented an own-goal from Boumsong with a reflex save in the 57th, stopped a header from Tulio de Melo in the 66th and denied Hazard and Gervinho respectively in the 74th and 79th. But his defenders were of no help to Lloris in stoppage time as Gervinho fired home the winner. "Lille never gave in and took advantage of our mistakes," Lloris said. "We have to rediscover our defensive solidity and string some good results together by not conceding goals." In Auxerre, Andre Luiz nodded in a corner kick in the 26th minute to put Nancy ahead. Slovenia midfielder Valter Birsa leveled for Auxerre in the 34th with a curling free kick from near the touchline that looped over goalkeeper Gennaro Bracigliano. But Morocco defender Abdelslam Ouaddou outjumped the Auxerre defense to head in a corner kick in the 51st before Youssouf Hadji notched his seventh goal this season in the 86th to seal the win.

Nancy midfielder Bocundji Ca was sent off in stoppage time for swinging an arm while fighting for the ball in the air. Auxerre, which was without Ireneusz Jelen through injury and Benoit Pedretti through suspension, slipped to fifth place with 26 points while Nancy moved into 13th place with 20 points. In Grenoble, the home side's winner arrived when Toulouse goalkeeper Olivier Blondel palmed a free kick from Danijel Ljuboja into the path of Nicolas Dieuze, who flicked the ball into an empty net in the 80th minute. Grenoble remained in last place with six points despite the win, while Toulouse was in the middle of the table with 21 points. In Boulogne, the host side was down to 10 men by the 18th minute after defender Mame N'Diaye picked up a second yellow card. Four minutes later, there was more trouble for Boulogne as defender Bira Dembele headed a free kick into his own net to give Lens the lead.

But Zimbabwean forward Ovidy Karuru equalized with a low shot in the 40th after some fine work from Olubayo Adefemi before Lens defender Romain Sartre, under the pressure of Damien Perrinelle, turned a free kick into his own net on the stroke of halftime. Boulogne climbed to 18th place with 12 points. On Saturday, it was: Montpellier 2, Le Mans 1; Rennes 1, Lorient 0; Valenciennes 3, Monaco 1; Nice 1, Marseille 3 and Saint-Etienne 0, Sochaux 0. -- Trung Latieule Werder held to 0-0 draw in Cologne FRANKFURT — Werder Bremen failed to make up ground on Bundesliga leader Bayer Leverkusen when it managed only a 0-0 draw Sunday at lowly Cologne. Werder extended its unbeaten run to 23 games in all competitions but remained three points behind Leverkusen, which also drew 0-0 Saturday in Hannover. In the late game, Schalke beat bottom-place Hertha Berlin 2-0 to move past Bayern into third place.

Kevin Kuranyi scored his 100th Bundesliga goal in the 59th to put Schalke ahead, heading in unmarked at the far post after Marcelo Bordon had headed back a cross to the striker. Rafinha converted a late penalty to complete the victory. By then, Hertha was down to 10 men after Christoph Janker was sent off in the 86th minute for his second booking. Cologne striker Milivoje Novakovic wasted the two best chances of the match and Werder missed its flu-stricken playmaker Mesut Oezil and striker Claudio Pizarro, who is on the long-term injury list. Leverkusen broke the club record for the best start to a season despite the scoreless draw in Hannover. By remaining undefeated in 15 games, Leverkusen improved on its 14-game undefeated start from the 2001-02 season. Jupp Heynckes' team now has 31 points. Bremen has 28 and a better goal difference than Schalke, which also has 28. Bayern is now fourth with 27.

Also Saturday, defending champion Wolfsburg rallied to salvage a 2-2 draw at home against promoted Freiburg, which profited from a dubious penalty. Hamburger SV drew 0-0 at home with Hoffenheim, Bochum battled back with 10 men to earn a 1-1 draw in Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund routed Nuremberg 4-0. Stuttgart on Sunday fired coach Markus Babbel and replaced him with Christian Gross, a Swiss who previously led FC Basel into the Champions League. Eintracht Frankfurt won its second straight by beating Mainz 2-0. Mainz finished the match with 10 men after the 68th-minute expulsion of Chadli Amri. Leader Twente wins 4-3 at NEC in Dutch league AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Costa Rica forward Bryan Ruiz scored a late winner to give Twente a 4-3 victory at NEC Nijmegen on Sunday that kept his team top of the Dutch league.

Ruiz, who has now scored a goal in each of his last nine games, headed home Ronnie Stam's cross in the 88th minute for his 12th of the season, helping Twente to its 11th straight victory. John Goossens scored the opener for NEC in the 15th minute but goals by Kenneth Perez, Blaise Nkufo and Miroslav Stoch turned the match around for Steve McClaren's side. Bjorn Vleminckx then scored twice for NEC before he was dismissed in the 55th minute for a late challenge on Douglas. Earlier Sunday, Ajax lost ground in the chase for its first Dutch league title in five years with a 2-0 loss at FC Utrecht. Twente, which remains unbeaten after 16 rounds, leads the standings with 44 points, nine more than third-place Ajax. PSV Eindhoven, also unbeaten this season, stayed second with 42 after beating RKC Waalwijk 2-0 with goals by Jonathan Reis and Danko Lazovic. Feyenoord is fourth with 31 points after a 3-1 comeback win over FC Groningen.

Stefan Babovic, Roy Makaay and Jon Dahl Tomasson replied for Feyenoord after Koen van de Laak had given Groningen the lead after four minutes. Jacob Mulenga and Jan Wuytens scored the goals for Utrecht. Mulenga, who will represent his native Zambia at the African Cup of Nations next month, put Utrecht ahead three minutes after the break with a low, left-footed shot from close range. Wuytens then headed in Gianluca Nijholt's 66th-minute corner for the second. Ajax's Vurnon Anita was sent off in the 73rd after picking his second yellow card. AZ Alkmaar's three-game winning run ended Friday with a 2-1 loss to Vitesse Arnhem. The defeat also cost coach Ronald Koemen his job. Also, it was: VVV Venlo 2, Willem II 1; Roda JC 1, ADO The Hague 1; NAC Breda 2, Sparta Rotterdam 2, Heracles Almelo 3, SC Heerenveen 1.

Flamengo wins 1st league title in 17 years RIO DE JANEIRO — Flamengo secured its first Brazilian league title in 17 years Sunday after Ronaldo Angelim headed in the winner in the 69th minute for a 2-1 victory over Gremio. It was the team's sixth league title, but first since 1992 for Brazil's most popular club. "It's unbelievable. For me this is the greatest dream," said Flamengo striker Adriano, draped in a team flag and crying after the match. "We came through so much difficulties to get this championship." Gremio had taken the lead when midfielder Roberson tapped in a corner kick from Douglas Costa in the 21st. But Flamengo replied in the 30th, when defender David netted a hard right-footed shot in front of goal after a header bounced off Adriano's chest. Angelim's header from a corner kick from Serbian midfielder Dejan Petkovic then gave the Rio club the win, and the three points it needed to secure its sixth title in the 38th and final round. Flamengo finished with 67 points, with Internacional second on 65.

Sao Paulo was third, also with 65 points and Cruzeiro was fourth to grab the last spot in next year's Copa Libertadores, Latin America's most important competition. Internacional beat Santo Andre 4-1 Sunday, while defending champions Sao Paulo defeated Sport 4-0 and Cruzeiro overcame Santos 2-1. Rio clubs Botafogo and Fluminense both staved off relegation. Botafogo beat Palmeiras 2-1 and Fluminense drew 1-1 with Coritiba, which was demoted to the second division instead. Also Sunday, Barueri drew 0-0 with Atletico Paranaense and Vitoria drew 2-2 with Goias. On Saturday, Avai beat Nautico 1-0 and Corinthians eased by Atletico Mineiro 3-0. Adriano scored 19 goals this season for his hometown team, which he joined after abandoning Inter Milan in April, saying he was no longer happy playing in Italy. As usual, Flamengo kept seeking out Adriano at the top of the area on Sunday, but he missed his best early chance with a header that went high in the fifth minute.

"It's normal we started out a bit slow, it's the anxiety," Adriano said. Flamengo kept pushing for a third goal until the 85,000 fans started celebrating with three minutes left to play, as smoke from fireworks started floating over the field. Flamengo struggled in the beginning of the season and was near the bottom of the standings, until former star midfielder Andrade took over the team to replace coach Cuca in August. The team lost five of its first six matches under Andrade, but then lost just one of its last 16. The team took over the lead for the first time in the next-to-last round after a 2-0 win over Corinthians last week. The team's other titles were in 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987 and 1992.

-- Bradley Brooks Tear gas hits game as Panathinaikos wins ATHENS, Greece — Costas Katsouranis scored twice to steer Panathinaikos to a 3-1 win over Atromitos on Sunday in a match that was suspended for nearly 30 minutes as tear gas drifted in from clashes between police and anarchists outside the ground. Referee Anastasios Kakos called a halt in the 53rd minute as the players were clearly affected by the tear gas being used by police outside Athens Olympic stadium. Many spectators left at this point, while the game eventually restarted with Panathinaikos leading 2-1. Panathinaikos had attacked from the kickoff, taking a sixth minute lead through Katsouranis following a cross by Giorgos Karagounis. Atromitos nearly leveled soon afterwards when a shot by Luis Brito forced keeper Alexandros Tzorvas to tip the ball over the crossbar. Tzorvas then punched away a shot by Juan Blengio before Katsouranis scored his second in the 33rd minute, firing home after a melee in the visitor's area.

Atromitos pulled a goal back in first half injury time, with Paschalis Melissas heading home a cross from Bangio. Hopes of an Atromitos comeback were hit by a 61st minute red card for Marcelo Sarmiento, but his side went on to squander two scoring chances in the last 10 minutes before French striker Djibril Cisse added Panathinaikos's third goal and his ninth of the season in the last minute. Second-place Panathinaikos now has 32 points from 13 games, one point behind league leader Olympiakos, which beat Xanthi 1-0 on Saturday. Also Sunday it was: Panthrakikos 0, Asteras 0; Giannena 2, Iraklis 3; Ergotelis 1, Kavala 0; and Panionios 3, AEK 1. Four Hearts players sent off at Hamilton amid scuffle HAMILTON, Scotland — Hearts had two players sent off during a 2-1 loss at Hamilton and another two were red carded during a post-match scuffle.

Hearts captain Michael Stewart was dismissed for lashing out at Alex Neil and defender Ismael Bouzid was shown a second yellow card for tripping James McArthur. Following reports of punches being thrown in the tunnel after the match, Hearts had midfielder Ian Black sent off for using foul and abusive language and winger Suso Santana for violent conduct. Masseur Alan Robson was also dismissed. "I came between them and I tried to push some Hamilton players and my players away," Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo. "In defense of my players, the adrenaline was somewhere over their heads. A word or provocation maybe can spark an explosion." Unused Hamilton substitute Leon Knight was also sent off for violent conduct in the tunnel. "I heard a scuffle, or whatever it may be, in the tunnel," Hamilton manager Billy Reid said. "I came in and guys were holding each other. Thing like that shouldn't happen, I fully understand that, but it happens in the game of football." James McArthur and Simon Mensing had put Hamilton ahead 2-0 by the 24th minute, but Eggert Jonsson pulled one back for Hearts just before the break.

FC Copenhagen beats Odense 2-0 in Danish league COPENHAGEN — Two goals by Dame N'Doye led FC Copenhagen to a 2-0 win over league-leader Odense Sunday in the last round of the Danish league before the winter break. N'Doye put the defending champions ahead in the 42nd minute after a corner and secured the win with a second goal in the 76th. The victory moves FC Copenhagen to within one point of Odense at the top of the league, with 37 points from 18 games. Odense leads with 38 points. Esbjerg — which is third in the standings with 32 points from 17 games — plays Arhus in the last game of the season Monday. Earlier Sunday, Silkeborg beat Brondby 3-0 to move up to fourth place in the standings, while Randers beat Koge 2-1. Nordsjalland also won against Midtjylland 3-0. On Saturday, SonderjyskE beat Aalborg 2-0. The Danish league will resume on March 7.

Benfica beats Academica 4-0 in Portuguese league LISBON, Portugal — Paraguay forward Oscar Cardozo scored a hat trick as Benfica beat Academica 4-0 on Sunday to go level on points with Portuguese league leader Braga. Former Barcelona striker Javier Saviola also scored as second-place Benfica moved on to 29 points in the standings, narrowing the gap at the top to head-to-head after Braga was held to a 1-1 draw at Leixoes on Saturday. Porto, which beat Guimaraes 4-1 on Friday, is third on 26 points. In Sunday's other game, Papa Babacar "Baba" Diawara scored twice as Maritimo beat Olhanense 5-2. Maritimo is fourth in the standings, on 19 points. Rio Ave drew 0-0 with Belenenses and Naval beat Pacos Ferreira 1-0 in other Saturday fixtures. On Monday, it's Leiria vs. Nacional and Setubal vs. Sporting Lisbon. Sporting is hoping to end a six-game winless streak which has left it seventh in the league.

Elsewhere Stuttgart fires coach Markus Babbel STUTTGART, Germany — Stuttgart fired coach Markus Babbel on Sunday after eight games without a win in the Bundesliga and named Christian Gross to succeed him. Gross, a 55-year-old Swiss, previously led FC Basel to the Champions League second round six years ago. His first game in charge will be Wednesday in the Champions League when Stuttgart can advance to the knockout stage if it beats the Romanian club Unirea Urziceni. Gross, who once played for Bochum in the Bundesliga, also coached Tottenham and Grasshoppers Zurich. He won two Swiss championships with Grasshoppers Zurich and four more with Basel. Stuttgart confirmed the dismissal of Babbel and his two assistants late Sunday, before announcing the appointment of Gross. About 3,000 angry supporters protested in front of the club's headquarters Saturday after 10-man Bochum rallied to earn a 1-1 draw at Stuttgart. Police used clubs and pepper spray to disperse the rowdy crowd and three fans were arrested while two officers were injured. Stuttgart is in the relegation zone in 16th place after finishing third last season.

Babbel, a former defender for Bayern Munich and Liverpool, took over at the club in November 2008. Stuttgart was struggling at the time but Babbel guided the team to a Champions League berth. Rome derby suspended for 10 minutes ROME — The Rome derby between AS Roma and Lazio was suspended for nearly 10 minutes during the first half Sunday due to exploding firecrackers in the stands. Referee Nicola Rizzoli stopped play in the 13th minute, and explosions continued during the suspension. After the suspension and when play had resumed, an announcement was made in the stadium asking fans to behave, but the explosions continued throughout the match. No goals were scored before the suspension. Roma won 1-0 with a 79th-minute score from Marco Cassetti. About 10 people were stopped by police in incidents outside the stadium before kickoff, the ANSA news agency reported. In 2004, the Rome derby was stopped three minutes into the second half when a false rumor spread through the stadium that police had killed a boy outside the stadium, sparking riots.

Kaka ruled out of Champions League Marseille game MADRID — Real Madrid midfielder Kaka has not recovered from a groin injury and has been ruled out of Tuesday's Champions League game against Marseille. The Brazil playmaker was not included in the 20-man squad announced Sunday that will travel to Marseille for the final group game. Rafael Van der Vaart, who replaced Kaka in Madrid's league match against Almeria on Saturday, is included in the squad. Angulo agrees to end contract with Sporting Lisbon LISBON, Portugal — Sporting Lisbon says it has reached an agreement with Miguel Angel Angulo to release the former Spain midfielder from his contract. Angulo joined Lisbon this offseason on a one-year contract but the club said Sunday he has decided to retire from professional football. The 32-year-old former Valencia player has barely featured for Lisbon this season, starting only three games. In a statement on its Web site, the Portuguese club wished Angulo "personal and professional success." estadi de sarria : definition of estadi de sarria and synonyms of estadi de sarria (English) 6 References Beginning of a legendary stadium The stadium was named after the road in which it was constructed, which linked the ancient cities Barcelona and Sarria.

Construction began on December 31, 1922 under the supervision of architect Matías Colmenares, and the cost was 170,000 pesetas. The initial forecast capacity was for 40,000 spectators, but due to the bankruptcy of the construction company the initial capacity was only for 10,000 spectators. The opening game was played on February 18, 1923 with RCD Espanyol beating UE Sants 4-1, the first goal scored by Vicenç Tonijuan. In 1929 the club won its first Cup in Spain. On 10 February, at the Sarria stadium, 'Pitus' Prats scored the first goal of the first Spanish league title. The team currently stood above everyone "The Divine", Ricardo Zamora.[ clarification needed ] However, although the club won several Catalan Championships they had to wait until 1940 before winning their second cup in Spain. Successive enlargements In 1948, Espanyol under club president Paco Saenz, repurchased the stadium, which until then belonged to Riva family, for 5 million pesetas.

In 1951 terracing behind the south goal was demolished, and a new grandstand was built which was overlayed in 1956. In 1960 floodlights were installed. During the sixties, several outstanding players such as Cayetano Re, Martial, Rodilla, Jose Maria and Peck played at the Sarria Stadium, but especially noteworthy were Ladislao Kubala (1963–1964) and Alfredo Di Stefano (1964–1967) who finished his career at the Sarria stadium. After being relegated twice during the 1960s, the club recovered in the early 1970s with players like Daniel Solsona and Chilean Carlos Caszely. Manuel Meler, the president at the time, completed the southern tier raised above the new gallery, installed the lower side and reconstructed the north stand, all in twelve years. The 1980s and 1990s 1982 World Cup The most memorable moments in the history of the Sarria stadium were when it hosted the 1982 FIFA World Cup .

The stadium held the three matches of Group C in the second round, with three of the favourites for the cup playing in this group: Argentina (Diego Maradona, Mario Kempes, Daniel Passarella), Brazil (Zico, Socrates, Falcao, Eder) and eventual champions Italy (Dino Zoff, Claudio Gentile, Marco Tardelli, Paolo Rossi). The key game was the third in which Italy defeated Brazil 3-2, in a match widely regarded as one of the best ever played at a World Cup. The site where the former Estadi Sarriá once stood in January 2011. Other Events The stadium held the first leg of the final of the 1988 UEFA Cup, where Espanyol played Bayer Leverkusen.

Question: Which football team from Barcelona played home matches at the 1992 Olympic Stadium until 2009 when they moved to the 'Estardi Cornella-El Prat'?
Answer: ESPANYOL