On This Day: Arsenal drew 2-2 with Barca; Crouch scored first EPL hat-trick

Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (March 31st) in football history. If you have more stories and news that happened on this day in history, feel free to post them in the comment area and share them with AFers!

On this day in 2010 - Fabregas scored with a broken leg in Arsenal 2-2 Barca

On 31 March 2010, Arsenal captain Cesc Fàbregas scored the equalizing goal against Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinal. And he did it with a broken leg.

Fàbregas, who joined Arsenal in 2003 after five years at Barcelona's youth academy, had been the subject of longstanding transfer rumors linking him with a return to his former club, adding a lot of spice to the match-up. 

Barcelona, as the reigning champions, were heavy favorites, but the Gunners managed to hold them to a scoreless draw until the break. Less than one minute after the restart, however, a long pass went over the Arsenal backline to a racing Zlatan Ibrahimović, who beat keeper Manuel Almunia with a lobbed ball to the far post. He then doubled the lead in the 59th minute, after another overhead ball left him one-on-one with Almunia. But Arsenal midfielder Theo Walcott narrowed the gap ten minutes later with a precise finish. 

As Arsenal pushed forward for an equalizer, Barça's Carles Puyol fouled Fàbregas in the box in the 85th minute. Fàbregas stepped up to the spot and converted the ensuing penalty, then immediately afterward started limping. It appeared that he pulled a muscle, but scans later revealed that Puyol's foul had resulted in a small fracture in his right fibula. 

The injury forced Fàbregas to miss the return leg, which Barcelona won 4-1. He remained with Arsenal for one more season, then transferred to Barça in August 2011 for £29 million. He left Barcelona in 2014 for Chelsea, his current club. 

Goals Gifs

On this day in 2007 - Peter Crouch scored his first EPL hat-trick

It was a crucial 4-1 victory for Rafael Benitez’s Reds, who strengthened their Champions League qualification hopes by moving two points ahead of the Gunners into third spot.

The opening goal arrived after just four minutes and it was beautifully orchestrated.

Jermaine Pennant’s delightful backheel played in Alvaro Arbeloa down the right flank and his low cross was converted at the near post by Crouch.

The second came 10 minutes before the break and, this time, it was a classic header from the big man. Fabio Aurelio provided the perfect delivery with his trusty left peg from the wing and the No.15 sent a towering header beyond the reach of Jens Lehmann.

Aurelio provided another assist when Daniel Agger headed home at the near post to make it 3-0 on the hour mark.

Although William Gallas pulled one back, the final word was left to Crouch as he sealed the hat-trick in style in front of the Kop.

Collecting a pass from Pennant, the striker showed remarkable close control to turn future Reds defender Kolo Toure inside out, before knocking the ball into the net.

On this day in 1929 - Juventus made twelve

On 31 March 1929, Juventus won their twelfth consecutive league match, setting a club record that lasted until 2015.

It was the last season in Italy under the old regional structure, which would give way to a new national league the following year. Juventus, winners of the title in 1905 and 1926, had finished second in their regional group the previous season (out of eleven teams), and needed only to finished eighth out of an expanded group of sixteen teams in order to qualify for the new top flight, Serie A.

They got off to a strong start in the fall, going undefeated in their first eight matches (which included a pair of 11-0 wins over Fiorentina and Fiumana) before losing to Brescia on 9 December. They quickly rebounded in their next game, a 3-4 win over Pro Vercelli on 16 December, to start their record streak. More victories followed, capped by a twelfth consecutive win, 1-3 over Fiumana, on 31 March.

Bologna ended the streak by holding Juventus to a 1-1 draw on 14 April. With eight games remaining, Juventus limped to the finish line with four losses and four draws, but it was enough to earn them second place in the table and a guaranteed spot in Serie A.

The record held until 2015, when they won a streak of 13 straight league matches that started toward the end of the previous season. They further extended the streak to 15 in the 2015-16 season.

On this day in 2004 - Centenariazo!

On 31 March 2004, visitors Venezuela upset Uruguay 0-3 in a World Cup qualification match.

Playing before a crowd of 40,094 at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, the hosts attacked from the opening whistle, applying furious pressure on the Venezuelan goal. But it was the visitors who took the lead in the 19th minute with a long-range blast from midfielder Gabriel Urdaneta. Uruguay renewed their energy on offense and were twice denied by the woodwork in the first half.

Venezuela doubled their lead in the 67th minute with a goal from Héctor "El Turbo" Gonzalez on a counter. Ten minutes later, Gonzalez delivered a cutting pass that fellow midfielder Juan Arango easily stabbed home for the final 0-3 margin. Venezuelan supporters dubbed the match "the Centenariazo," after Uruguay's famous "Marazanazo" victory over Brazil in 1950. Uruguay manager Carrasco, meanwhile, called the match "a stain on the history of Uruguayan football."

Ultimately, neither team qualified for the 2006 World Cup, as Venezuela's form faded and they finished 9th out the 10 CONMEBOL teams. Uruguay finished 5th and advanced to the CONMEBOL/OFC playoff where they lost to Australia on penalties.