Soccer In Radge (545 words) Essay Example For Students

Soccer In Radge (545 words) Essay Soccer In RadgeALENCIA, Spain (Reuters) Espanyol capped its centenarycelebrations by winning the SpanishCup with a 2-1 victory over AtleticoMadrid on Saturday. One of the cheekiest goals seen inSpain all season gave the Barcelonaclub an ideal start after just twominutes. Atletico goalkeeper Toni Jimenez who moved to the club from Espanyollast summer saved a shot by ToniVelamazan and was bouncing the ballin front of him, ready to boot it upfield. But then Raul Tamudo nipped in unseen, headed the ball awayfrom Jimenez and beat his former team mate in a sprint acrossthe face of the goal, turning the ball in from an narrow angle outon the left. Sergio Gonzalez hit Espanyols second goal five minutes fromtime to ensure the club won its first honor for 60 years Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink pulled one back for Atletico a minuteinto injury time, and Espanyol endured an anxious couple ofminutes as the clocked ticked away, but it was too little too late. Espanyol ecstasyFor Espanyol supporters, it brought a huge smile to their facesafter a decade of despair. They were relegated twice during the 1990s and even had tosell their ground the historic Sarria stadium in 1997 to solvea cash crisis. However Espanyols veteran defender Nando Munoz put theemotions of all those involved with the club into words. This might be the greatest day in the history of Espanyol. Thisis for all those fans and everyone else who can remember thebad times all those dire moments, Nando said. Nando had recovered enough breath to speak to Spanish toreporters because he had been given his marching orders 13minutes from time after picking up two yellow cards in quicksuccession while Espanyol fought to contain a second halfAtletico comeback. Atletico attackThe first half belonged to Espanyol, with Tamudo andVelamazan causing plenty of problems for the Atleticodefenders and Moises Arteaga slicing through the middle, butthe second period saw Atletico strive for an equalizer. Hasselbaink was a constant thre at, although Espanyoldefenders did a good job of soaking up the pressure, and hisclosest efforts came from edge-of-the-area free kicks. After Nando left the field, Espanyol looked briefly in trouble, butboth teams ended the match with 10 men after former Spanishinternational defender Santi Denia lost control completelyseven minutes from time. Denia scythed down Manuel Serrano from the rear and thenheadbutted Toni Velamazan. Sergios clincher came two minutes later. TearsHe controlled a long, speculative, ball forward with his headand then blasted the half-volley past the hapless Jimenez, wholeft the field inconsolable. Football just isnt fair, Jimenez wailed, with tears streamingdown his face. Jimenez was not the only Atletico player to leave the field withmoist eyes. The cup final defeat, their second in successive years afterlosing 3-0 to Valencia last year, brought an end to one of theworst seasons in club history. Atletico was relegated and will spend next season in theSpanish se cond division for the first time since 1934. A damaging government investigation into the club financesalso left the club badly demoralized on and off the field. The cup final is likely to be the last match that many players,including Hasselbaink, have in an Atletico jersey, with amassive exodus anticipated. BibliographyOne of the cheekiest goals seen inSpain all season gave the Barcelonaclub an ideal start after just twominutes. Sports and Games