Villanovense enjoyed the most famous night of their history
Barcelona defender Douglas (left) vies for the ball with Villanovense's Tapia during their Copa del Rey first leg match at the Romero Cuerda stadium in Villanueva de la Serena, Spain, on Thursday. The match ended goalless. (Photo: AFP)
Madrid: Spanish third-tier minnows Villanovense enjoyed the most famous night of their history as they held an under-strength Barcelona 0-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey tie on Wednesday.
Villanovense play at the same level as Barca’s ‘B’ team in the regional Second Division ‘B’, but they more than held their own in a game of very few chances and came closest to scoring just before half-time when Victor Calatrava’s flick flew inches over the bar.
The sides will meet again for the right to reach the last 16 at the Camp Nou on December 2. “I think we had the right attitude and I am satisfied with what I saw,” said Barca boss Luis Enrique. “I expected to win the game, that is what we came here to do. We had some chances, although they weren’t clear-cut.
“The result is what it is and now we have the second leg still to play.” Villanovense captain Angel Pazuelo had to fight back tears of pride as he hailed his side’s defiance against the European champions.
Bayern eye 11th league win:
Runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich will be battling fatigue plus hosts Eintracht Frankfurt when they hunt a perfect 11 wins from 11 league games on Friday. In a busy period, the Bavarian giants are in the middle of playing five games in two weeks and have just a three-day turn around after their German Cup win at Wolfsburg.
Bayern then host Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday hunting revenge for their 2-0 defeat in London a fortnight ago — their only defeat of the season.
Bayern knocked holders Wolfsburg out of the cup on Tuesday with a 3-1 second round win. “We need to gather our strength as quickly as possible for Friday,” said winger Robben.
( Source : AFP )
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