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On Sunday, the matches of the Spanish "Primera" league were marked by a special abundance of cards. In eight games, referees showed players a total of 57 yellow and 8 red cards, and six penalties were awarded. The league leaders became defending champions "Barcelona," who avenged themselves against "Sevilla" and surpassed the unsuccessful "Valencia" team in an away game. Four teams that played away won, including "Athletic" and "Racing," who achieved their first victories, and two matches ended in draws.
Also, "Barcelona" suffered their first failure as they "gave up" the lead to "Valencia" club, losing away to Celta Vigo 2-3. "Valencia" first scored a goal but then conceded three times in just 11 minutes, only managing to soften the outcome. In this match, a total of 9 yellow and 1 red card were shown. Furthermore, "Valencia" fans should be concerned not only about the defeat but also about the injury of their forward Vicente. He was substituted in the middle of the first half due to a suspected ankle injury.
In Tarragona, in a match between underdogs, Bilbao "Athletic" achieved their first victory by defeating local "Gimnastic." The newcomers of the "Primera" league lost defender Manuel Ruiz Banos in the 28th minute, and at the start of the second half, they were already trailing 0-3. However, "Gimnastic" showed character even playing with 10 against 11 and managed to score two goals, reviving the intrigue of the match.
Home teams "Osasuna" and "Levante" suffered identical minimal defeats of 0-1 to Racing Santander and Mallorca, respectively.
The absolute league underdog, "Real Sociedad," lost again, this time 1-3 at home to "Zaragoza." The San Sebastian team took the lead after a precise penalty kick by Xabier Prieto. However, shortly after, the home team player Diego Rivas received a second yellow card, and "Zaragoza" took the initiative, scoring three goals and achieving their third victory.
The match between "Villarreal" and Barcelona's "Espanyol" ended in a 0-0 draw.
Champions "Barcelona" defeated one of their main rivals, "Sevilla," at their "Camp Nou" stadium, seeking revenge for the heavy loss in the UEFA Super Cup match in August.
In the 28th minute, "Sevilla" defenders harshly fouled Juliano Belletti in their penalty area, and Ronaldinho converted the penalty kick.
In the 37th minute, "Sevilla" equalized when Frederic Kanoute scored during a quick counterattack.
However, the visitors' joy was short-lived. Just a couple of minutes later, Ronaldinho restored "Barcelona's" lead with a precise penalty kick.
In the second half, "Barcelona" completely controlled the situation on the field and secured their lead with Lionel Messi's goal in the 81st minute.
In the last round of matches, Seville's "Real Betis" and La Coruna's "Deportivo" played to a 1-1 draw.
In the beginning of the second half, Javier Arizmendi scored a long-range goal to put the visitors ahead. However, "Betis" managed to equalize. In the second minute of added time in their penalty area, "Deportivo" defender Albert Lopo handled the ball, and Robert converted the penalty kick – 1-1.
Statistics of Sunday's matches:
Vigo "Celta" 3 – 2 "Valencia"
Tarragona "Gimnastic" 2 – 3 Bilbao "Athletic"
Valencia's "Levante" 0 – 1 "Mallorca"
Pamplona's "Osasuna" 0 – 1 Santander "Racing"
San Sebastian's "Real Sociedad" 1 – 3 "Zaragoza"
"Villarreal" 0 – 0 Barcelona's "Espanyol"
"Barcelona" 3 – 1 "Sevilla"
Seville's "Betis" 1 – 1 La Coruna's "Deportivo"
Matchday table:
