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Fan dies in Spanish crowd violence
MADRID, Oct 8 (Reuters) -- Football violence in Spain led to the death of a Deportivo Coruna fan after a King's Cup match and the suspension of a game between league leaders Valencia and Castellon. The 31-year-old Deportivo supporter died from internal injuries after clashes at their first round match against Santiago Compostela in Galicia. Valencia's match was called off with seven minutes left when the referee was struck by a missile after awarding them a penalty with the scores tied 1-1. Spanish federation rules state that the remainder of the game, starting with the penalty, must be played at a later date. Deportivo beat fellow Galicians Compostela 1-0 in an evenly-balanced contest at San Lazaro. The incidents come as Spanish football authorities are increasingly concerned about violence. Third division Gimnastica Torrelavega sprung the surprise of the night with a 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao in their first round clash. Midfielder Javi struck an injury-time winner to give the modest Cantabrian side a shock win over first division Bilbao, who have played in more Cup finals than any other team. Champions Real Madrid were flattered by the scoreline in their 3-0 victory over San Sebastian de los Reyes of the third division. A coolly taken goal from skipper Raul against the run of play on 29 minutes and close-range strikes by Javier Portillo and Esteban Cambiasso in the second half allowed Real to move safely into the last 32. Barcelona, who have fallen at the first hurdle in the Cup for the last two seasons, struggled against third division Gramanet and had to rely on a classy finish from Brazilian Ronaldinho five minutes from time to claim a 1-0 victory. Copyright 2003 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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