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On Sunday, seven matches of the 2006/2007 Spanish football championship "La Liga" 1st round are played. In the first round, the royal Madrid club "Real" lost two points at home, failing to beat the "Villarreal" team.
The offseason saw significant changes in "Real" led by Italian Fabio Capello with new players Fabio Cannavaro, Mahamadou Diarra, and Ruud Van Nistelrooy in the starting lineup. However, they played quite poorly throughout the match and failed to create anything substantial against a well-organized "Villarreal" defense. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.
The newcomer Tarragona's "Gimnastic" started the championship well, defeating Barcelona's "Espanyol" team 1-0 at home. The only goal of the match, securing the newcomer's victory in the 51st minute, was scored by Alejandro Campano.
A thrilling duel took place in La Coruna, where the local "Deportivo" managed to come back after conceding a goal in the 8th minute and beat the "Zaragoza" club 3-2. The goals for the winners were scored by Juan Rodriguez, Sergio, and Arizmendi. Meanwhile, Diego Milito and Ewerthon stood out for the visitors.
"Getafe" also started the championship in a winning manner, surprisingly defeating Pamplona's "Osasuna" team, which finished 4th last season, with a score of 2-0. Fabio Celestini put "Getafe" ahead in the 52nd minute, and Nacho doubled the lead with 15 minutes left in the match.
Three points in the first round were also earned by the players of Madrid's "Atletico," who beat Santander's "Racing" club with the only goal of the match away. The winning goal was scored by Spanish national team forward Fernando Torres in the 12th minute. It is worth mentioning that the entire second half, Atletico had to play with ten men, as Greek Giorgos Seitaridis received a red card and was sent off the field in the 45th minute.
Results of Sunday's matches:
3 - 2
8' [0 - 1] Diego Milito
16' [1 - 1] Juan Rodriguez
37' [2 - 1] Sergio (from the penalty spot)
74' [3 - 1] Arizmendi
80' [3 - 2] Ewerthon
0 - 1
51' [0 - 1] Campano
0 - 2
52' [0 - 1] Fabio Celestini
75' [0 - 2] Nacho
0 - 0
1 - 1
86' [0 - 1] Juan Fernando Arango
90' [1 - 1] Cazorla
0 - 1
12' [0 - 1] Fernando Torres
45' Giorgos Seitaridis ("Atletico") sent off the field
1 - 1
38' [1 - 0] Aritz Aduriz (from the penalty spot)
87' [1 - 1] Mikel Aranburu
League table
