1922 Copa del Rey Final
Team of Barcelona in 1922
Event1922 Copa del Rey
FC Barcelona Real Unión
5 1
Date14 May 1922
VenueCoia, Vigo
RefereeThomas Balvay
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The 1922 Copa del Rey Final was the 22nd final of the Spanish cup competition, the Copa del Rey. The final was played at Campo de Coia, in Vigo, on 14 May 1922. Barcelona easily defeated Real Unión 5–1 and won their fifth title. The Catalan goals were scored by Ramón Torralba, Josep Samitier, Paulino Alcántara (2) and Clemente Gràcia.[1][2]

This match was marked by a monumental brawl between Barcelona defender Salvador Surroca and Real Unión forward Patricio, which prompted a field invasion and the suspension of the match for 20 minute.[3]

Campo de Coia in Vigo, venue for the final

Summary

In the first half, Real Unión dominated the game and possession, but this did not translate into clear scoring opportunities. On the other hand, Jack Greenwell's Barcelona was much more effective in front of goal, and scored the first goal in the 22nd minute with a shot from Ramón Torralba that surprised Domingo Muguruza.[3] This served as a wake-up call for the Irundarra team, who responded with a relentless wave of attacks on Barça's goal, and the Catalans failed to resist Unión's siege, because in a Corner kick taken by the Black and Whites, there was a riot that ended with the ball inside the goal, with the final touch belonging to Patricio.[4] The goal renewed the team and in the next few minutes appeared that the "unionists" could turn the result around, however, a header from Josep Samitier made it 2–1, and on the stroke of half-time, Paulino Alcántara scored the 3–1 that seemed to seal the game.[4]

However, the second half was almost completely dominated by Real Unión, but again they were unable to score any goals, due to good performances from Barça's defenders José Planas Artés and Salvador Surroca, and especially, of goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora, who made some superb saves. With six minutes left in the game, Surroca brought down Patricio in the area and the referee Thomas Balvay did not signal anything, prompting a field invasion.[3] The match was suspended for 20 minutes until the Irundarras decided to return to the field. However, they forgot to bring their heads with them and Barcelona took the opportunity to score two goals in the final minutes, through Clemente Gràcia and Alcántara, leaving the final score at 5–1.[2]

Match details

FC Barcelona5–1Real Unión
Torralba 22'
Samitier 41'
Alcántara 45', 90'
Gràcia 85'		 Report1
Report2		 30' Patricio
Campo de Coia, Vigo
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Thomas Balvay
Barcelona
Real Unión
Copa del Rey
1922 winners
FC Barcelona
Fifth title

Aftermath[edit]

The incidents of that game led to the suspension of Patricio for one year and a fine of 500 pesetas for Real Unión, which at the time was a heavy fine. The one-year suspension effectively led to the retirement of Patricio, who was almost 30 years old and had been playing football since he was 17.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Spain - Cup 1922". RSSSF. 13 January 2000. Archived from the original on 5 January 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Copa del Rey Alfonso 1922". www.linguasport.com. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "El F.C. Barcelona campeón de España" [F.C. Barcelona is champion of Spain]. El Progreso (in Spanish). 16 May 1922. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Partido final del Campeonato de España" [Final match of the Spanish Championship]. El Ideal Gallego (in Spanish). 16 May 1922. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Patricio Arabolaza". Olympics. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
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