© EuroFootball.com
The impressive winning streak of the Spanish champion "Barcelona" was interrupted in the first quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey (King's Cup) in Zaragoza - the leaders of "La Liga" were convincingly defeated 4-2 by the local team "Zaragoza".
4 - 2
23` [1 - 0] Diego Milito
25` [2 - 0] Ewerthon
27` [3 - 0] Ewerthon
36` [3 - 1] Henrik Larsson
62` [3 - 2] Ronaldinho (penalty)
90` [4 - 2] Diego Milito (penalty)
Although the teams are separated by as many as nine places in the Spanish championship, the position held by the Zaragoza squad does not reflect their excellent form - in recent weeks, Saragossa has been very successful on the field, climbing up from the bottom of the league table. Meanwhile, since mid-October, "Barca" had won all their played matches and seemed unstoppable.
However, in the middle of the first half, the Argentine Diego Milito put the home team ahead, and soon after, his Brazilian attacking partner Ewerthon added two more goals in just a few minutes, overwhelming the score. Just before the break, Henrik Larsson softened the lead slightly for the Catalans - after the first half, "Zaragoza" led 3-1.
After playing for a little over an hour, a penalty was awarded to the hosts, which was converted by the visitors' leader Ronaldinho. However, to the joy of the 30,000 spectators gathered at the Romareda stadium, another penalty was awarded to "Barcelona", and Diego Milito accurately scored, giving his team a two-goal advantage.
This was the first failure for the "Barcelona" team, without Samuel Eto'o playing due to his participation in the African Cup of Nations, in the last 25 games and generally the first match lost after a series of 18 consecutive wins. The second leg match between the teams will take place in a week in Barcelona, and the winner of this tie will play the semi-final against Real Madrid.
