Arsenal de Sarandí facts for kids
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| Full name | Arsenal Fútbol Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Los del Viaducto (The Viaduct men) El ... |
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| Founded | 11 January 1957 | |||
| Ground | Estadio Julio H. Grondona, Sarandí, Avellaneda Partido |
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| Capacity | 18,500 | |||
| Chairman | Julio Ricardo Grondona | |||
| Manager | José María Bianco | |||
| League | Primera Nacional | |||
| 2023 | 28th (relegated) | |||
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Arsenal Fútbol Club, often called Arsenal de Sarandí, is a sports club from Sarandí, Argentina. It is best known for its football team. The club's nickname is Los del Viaducto, meaning "The Viaduct men".
The football team plays in the Primera División, which is the top football league in Argentina. Their home games are played at the Estadio Julio H. Grondona. This stadium is named after one of the club's founders. It can hold about 18,500 fans.
Arsenal's team colors are red and light blue. These colors honor two other famous teams from the Avellaneda area: Independiente (red) and Racing (light blue). Arsenal won its first top league championship in 2012. Before that, their biggest win was the Copa Sudamericana in 2007. Besides football, Arsenal also has teams for field hockey, futsal, and handball.
Contents
Club History: How Arsenal Started
Founding the Club
The club was founded on January 11, 1957. Two brothers, Héctor and Julio Humberto Grondona, started it. They were inspired by the famous English football club, Arsenal. Both clubs even have a similar story about their names. They were both near places where military weapons were stored, called arsenals.
The team's first shirt was light blue with a red stripe. This design was similar to the one used by River Plate. The colors were chosen to combine the colors of two older clubs in Avellaneda. These were Racing (light blue) and Independiente (red).
Key People and Early Success
Julio Grondona became a very important person in Argentine football. He later became the president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) in 1979. He also served as a vice-president for FIFA, the world's football governing body. After Julio, his brother Héctor, and then his son Julio Ricardo, became presidents of Arsenal.
One of Arsenal's most famous former players is Jorge Burruchaga. He started his career at Arsenal in 1979. He is nicknamed Burru. He even scored the winning goal for Argentina in the 1986 FIFA World Cup final! Burruchaga also coached Arsenal several times.
Arsenal's football team slowly moved up through different leagues. They were promoted in 1962, 1986, and 1992. Finally, in 2002, they reached the Primera División, the top league.
International Achievements
First International Matches
Arsenal first played in an international tournament in 2004. This was the Copa Sudamericana. Coached by Jorge Burruchaga, they reached the Quarter-finals. They beat other Argentine teams like Banfield and River Plate. They lost to a Bolivian team, Bolívar, in their first game against a non-Argentine team.
In 2006–07, Arsenal played well enough to qualify for two big international tournaments. These were the 2007 Copa Sudamericana and the 2008 Copa Libertadores. It was the first time Arsenal qualified for South America's biggest club tournament.
Winning the Copa Sudamericana
Arsenal's journey in the 2007 Copa Sudamericana was amazing. Many people called them "the underdog that couldn't be stopped." They beat strong teams like San Lorenzo from Argentina. Then they faced Brazilian team Goiás. Arsenal won 3–2 in Brazil and drew 1–1 at home, winning the series 4–3. This was their first official win against a foreign team.
Next, they played Mexican team Guadalajara. After a 0–0 draw at home, they won 3–1 in Mexico. In the semi-finals, they met another Argentine team, River Plate. Both games ended 0–0. Arsenal won the penalty shootout 4–2. Their goalkeeper, Mario Cuenca, made many great saves.
The final was against Club América from Mexico. Arsenal won the first game 3–2 in Mexico City. The second game could not be played at Arsenal's home stadium. This was because it was too small for a major final. The game was played at another stadium in Avellaneda. Arsenal won their first major title on the away goals rule. This means they scored more goals in the away game than their opponent did in their away game.
Another International Cup
Arsenal did not do as well in the 2008 Copa Libertadores. But on July 30, 2008, they won their second international cup. This was the Suruga Bank Championship. They qualified for this cup because they won the Copa Sudamericana. They played against Gamba Osaka from Japan. Arsenal's captain, Carlos Casteglione, scored the only goal in the 86th minute. This gave Arsenal another big win.
First Domestic Titles
Arsenal won its first Argentine championship on June 24, 2012. They beat Belgrano de Córdoba 1–0. The goal was scored by Lisandro López. The team earned 38 points from 19 games. They won 11 matches and only lost 3. Arsenal also made history. They became the first team to win a Primera División title after playing in all five divisions of Argentine football.
As champions, Arsenal also played in the Supercopa Argentina. This is a special match between the league winners and the Copa Argentina winners. On November 7, 2012, Arsenal beat Boca Juniors 4–3 in a penalty shootout after a 0–0 draw.
Arsenal won the Copa Argentina on October 16, 2013. They beat San Lorenzo de Almagro 3–0 in the final match.
Home Stadium: Estadio Julio H. Grondona
The Estadio Julio H. Grondona is Arsenal's home stadium in Sarandí. It is known as el Viaducto (The Viaduct). The stadium can hold about 36,300 people.
Building Arsenal's first stadium began on October 11, 1962. It officially opened on August 22, 1964. When Arsenal was promoted to the top league, their stadium was not ready. So, the team played at the stadiums of Lanús and Racing for two seasons.
The stadium was then rebuilt and named "Julio Humberto Grondona." It reopened on August 7, 2004, with a big party for the fans. The first game in the new stadium was against Banfield in the Copa Sudamericana. This new stadium has seen Arsenal beat some of the biggest teams in Argentine football, like Boca Juniors and River Plate.
Honours
National Titles
League Championships
- Primera División
- Winners (1): 2012 Clausura
- Primera B Nacional
- Winners (1): 2018–19
- Primera División C
- Winners (1): 1964
- Primera de Aficionados
- Winners (1): 1962
National Cups
- Copa Argentina
- Winners (1): 2012–13
- Supercopa Argentina
- Winners (1): 2012
International Titles
- Copa Sudamericana
- Winners (1): 2007
- Suruga Bank Championship
- Winners (1): 2008
Images for kids
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The team that won the Primera C championship in 1964.
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The 1962 Arsenal team, which won the first official title for the institution.
See also
In Spanish: Arsenal Fútbol Club para niños
