Almeria draw 0-0 with Espanyol in Spanish league

Barcelona: Almeria settled for a 0-0 draw at home against Espanyol on Sunday after their coach was ejected from the dugouts and Jose "Verza" Garcia missed a penalty he had to repeat in the first half.

The result kept Almeria near the bottom of the Spanish league while Espanyol stayed in the middle of the table.

Striker Jhon Cordoba's sixth-minute shot deflected off the goalkeeper and onto the crossbar in Espanyol's best chance of the match.

Verza missed a 23rd-minute penalty he had to repeat after team-mate Oscar Diaz had entered the area during his first attempt, which he converted.

Almeria coach Francisco Rodriguez was ejected during a scuffle between both teams near the dugouts in the 32nd.