Johan Cruyff's return to coaching was a success as the Dutchman led
Catalonia to a 4-2 victory over World Cup-bound Argentina on
Tuesday.
Sergio Garcia, Bojan Krkic, Sergio Gonzalez and Moises
Hurtado all scored to lead Cruyff to victory 13 years after his
last appearance on the touchline when he coached Barcelona.
Assistant Hector Enrique led Argentina with coach Diego
Maradona unavailable due to a FIFA ban. Angel di Maria and Javier
Pastore scored for the visitors at Camp Nou, where the 53,000
spectators included Maradona, who was forced to buy a ticket and
watch from the stands.
Argentina was without FIFA Player of the Year Lionel Messi
and injured striker Sergio Aguero. Enrique opted to use mostly
European-based players with Gonzalo Higuain, Di Maria and Martin
Demichelis among the starters. Catalonia fielded a lineup heavy on
Barcelona players including Xavi Hernandez, Carles Puyol and Gerard
Pique.
Garcia headed Catalonia into a deserved lead just before
halftime, the Real Betis striker receiving from Joan Verdu to beat
Diego Pozo.
Barcelona striker Krkic stretched out the hosts in the 56th
before Argentina got on the board in the 63rd when Pastore beat
goalkeeper Victor Valdes with a long-range free kick.
Nicolas Pareja fouled Ferran Corominas inside the area for
Gonzalez to step up and score Catalonia's third, then Di Maria,
Argentina's standout player, pulled the visitors back to within one
in the 72nd by scoring from Ezequiel Lavezzi's pass.
Hurtado clinched the victory with a goal three minutes later.
Cruyff, who led Barcelona from 1988-96 after several seasons
at Ajax, works as an adviser to Barcelona, whose players returned
only on Tuesday from their Club World Cup win three days ago in Abu
Dhabi.
Catalunya, like other Spanish regions such as the Basque
Country, competes in friendlies against international teams but
isn't permitted to play in official competitions.
Maradona was relegated to the stands after being banned for
two months for an expletive-filled rant at a news conference during
World Cup qualifying in October.
