Villa Park hosted 55 FA Cup semi-finals, more than any other stadium. The club hosted the League Cup Final in 1980–1981 when Liverpool beat West Ham 2–1 in a replay. In 1999, the stadium hosted the last final of the European Cup Winners' Cup in which Lazio beat Real Mallorca 2–1. During the construction of the new Wembley Stadium between 2001 and 2005, the FA Trophy Final was held at Villa Park. The 2012 Community Shield was held at Villa Park instead of Wembley due to Olympic Games at the stadium. The venue has also hosted two first-class cricket matches. The first
Aston Villa F.C. in the 1870s Villa failed to find another fixture that season, but had more success the following year. Some of the clubs they played included Aston Unity (who Villa continued to play every year at cricket into the 1960s) and St. George's Excelsior. Most home matches were played in Aston Park, across the road from present-day Villa Park, and in the shadow of Aston Hall. Other games were played in Aston Lower Grounds, where Villa Park now lies. Villa did not have exclusivity in this area, with other sports regularly played there. Indeed, W G Grace played cricket there, as the touring Australians