Spanish Glory: An RCD Espanyol Dynasty | Presented by BigJDotCom
October 9, 2018 11:54PM
edited November 2018
I have picked up FIFA 19 and have decided to start a dynasty with Real Club Deportivo Espanyol de Barcelona. Located in Barcelona and founded in 1900, they have spent 80 seasons in the premier division of Spanish football. They have zero championships in the top level and hold the distinction of being the club with the longest tenure in La Liga without winning the title. The club has participated in seven UEFA Cups, reaching the finals twice. In 1988, they lost to Beyer Leverkusen on penalty kicks (3-2) after a 3-0 home win and 0-3 road loss. In 2007, they lost to Spanish side Sevilla on penalty kicks (3-1) after being tied at 1-1 after 90 minutes and 2-2 after 120 minutes.
RCD Espanyol has won four Copa del Rey, most recently in 2006 defeating Zaragosa 4-1 in Madrid.
Their rival is naturally Barcelona. This rivalry is bigger for RCD Espanyol fans than Barcelona ones as Espanyol has finished above Barcelona in the table just three times in over 70 seasons.
The club will be managed by former RCD Espanyol icon Raul Tamudo, who retired from professional football in 2015. The 41-year-old made 389 appearances with RCD Espanyol, scoring 140 goals and leading the club to two Copa del Rey titles.
The club plays it's home matches at RCDE Stadium in the outskirts Barcelona.
We will be focusing on stocking the club with home grown talent. We will setup a scouting network and youth academy within Spain.
I hope that you enjoy!
2018-19 SEASON
The Down Low on the Periquitos:
MANAGER: Raul Tamudo
CAREER RECORD: (0-0-0)
STADIUM: RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)
RIVALS: Barcelona
TRANSFER BUDGET: $12,098,438
CLUB WORTH: $87,000,000
WEEKLY WAGE BUDGET:
EXPECTATIONS: Finish Mid Table; Reach Round of 32 Copa de Espana; Qualify for UEFA League spot within two seasons
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2018-19 La Liga Record: (15-11-12, 56 pts) 7th place
2019-20 La Liga Record: (6-3-3, 21 pts) 6th place
Copa de Espana Record: (2-0-1)
Champions League Record: (0-0-0)
Europa League Record: (4-0-2)
2018 Champions Trophy Tournament: (0-3-0)
2019 European International Cup: (0-2-1)
AJAX (0-1-0)
July 11, 2018: RCD Espanyol 4:4 Ajax (Champions Trophy)
AS SAINT-ETIENNE (0-1-0)
July 14, 2019: RCD Espanyol 1:1 AS Saint-Etienne (European International Cup)
ATALANTA (0-0-1)
July 7, 2019: RCD Espanyol 1:5 Atalanta (European International Cup)
ATHLETIC BILBAO (0-2-1)
Nov 3, 2018: RCD Espanyol 2:2 Athletic Bilbao
Mar 9, 2019: Athletic Bilbao 2:2 RCD Espanyol
Oct 6, 2019: Athletic Bilbao 3:1 RCD Espanyol
ATLETICO MADRID (1-0-2)
Dec 21, 2018: Atletico Madrid 0:1 RCD Espanyol
May 4, 2019: RCD Espanyol 0:2 Atletico Madrid
Nov 3, 2019: RCD Espanyol 0:3 Atletico Madrid
FC BARCELONA (0-0-2)
Dec 8, 2018: RCD Espanyol 0:2 FC Barcelona
Mar 23, 2019: FC Barcelona 4:0 RCD Espanyol
BESIKTAS JK (0-0-2)
Oct 24, 2019: RCD Espanyol 1:2 Besiktas JK (Europa League)
Nov 7, 2019: Besiktas JK 2:0 RCD Espanyol (Europa League)
CELTA VIGO (2-1-0)
Aug 18, 2018: Celta Vigo 1:1 RCD Espanyol
Apr 25, 2019: RCD Espanyol 1:0 Celta Vigo
Nov 11, 2019: RCD Espanyol 1:0 Celta Vigo
CLUB BRUGGE (1-0-0)
Sept 19, 2019: Club Brugge 2:3 RCD Espanyol (Europa League)
Nov 28, 2019: (Europa League)
CORK CITY (2-0-0)
Aug 22, 2019: Cork City 0:3 RCD Espanyol (Europa League)
Aug 29, 2019: RCD Espanyol 2:0 Cork City (Europa League)
DEPORTIVO ALAVES (2-2-1)
Sept 1, 2018: Alaves 1:5 RCD Espanyol
Oct 31, 2018: Alaves 1:2 RCD Espanyol (Copa de Espana)
Dec 4, 2018: RCD Espanyol 1:4 Alaves (Copa de Espana)
Apr 14, 2019: RCD Espanyol 2:2 Alaves
Sept 1, 2019: RCD Espanyol 0:0 Alaves
GETAFE CF (1-2-0)
Dec 1, 2018: Getafe CF 1:1 RCD Espanyol
Apr 3, 2019: RCD Espanyol 3:1 Getafe CF
Oct 19, 2019: Getafe 1:1 RCD Espanyol
GIRONA (3-0-0)
Nov 24, 2018: RCD Espanyol 2:1 Girona
Apr 7, 2019: Girona 1:3 RCD Espanyol
Oct 27, 2019: Girona 0:1 RCD Espanyol
LAVANTE UD (1-0-1)
Sept 16, 2018: RCD Espanyol 0:3 Levante UD
Apr 21, 2019: Levante UD 0:5 RCD Espanyol
CD LEGANES (1-1-0)
Jan 5, 2019: RCD Espanyol 3:2 CD Leganes
May 11, 2019: CD Leganes 2:2 RCD Espanyol
MALMO FF (1-0-0)
Oct 3, 2019: RCD Espanyol 3:0 Malmo FF (Europa League)
Dec 12, 2019: (Europa League)
NEWCASTLE UNITED (0-1-0)
July 10, 2019: Newcastle United 2:2 RCD Espanyol (European International Cup)
RAYO MAJADAHONDA (1-0-0)
Oct 30, 2019: RCD Espanyol 3:0 Rayo Majadahonda (Copa de Espana)
Dec 4, 2019:
RAYO VALLECANO (2-1-0)
Sept 30, 2018: Rayo Vallecano 1:1 RCD Espanyol
Feb 9, 2019: RCD Espanyol 2:0 Rayo Vallecano
Aug 25, 2019: Rayo Vallecano 2:3 RCD Espanyol
REAL BETIS (0-1-1)
Dec 16, 2018: RCD Espanyol 2:3 Real Betis
Apr 28, 2019: Real Betis 1:1 RCD Espanyol
REAL MADRID (2-0-1)
Sept 26, 2018: Real Madrid 1:2 RCD Espanyol
Jan 26, 2019: RCD Espanyol 1:3 Real Madrid
Sept 24, 2019: Real Madrid 1:2 RCD Espanyol
REAL SOCIEDAD (1-1-0)
Jan 13, 2019: Real Sociedad 1:2 RCD Espanyol
May 18, 2019: RCD Espanyol 3:3 Real Sociedad
Nov 28, 2019:
REAL VALLADOLID (3-0-0)
Oct 27, 2018: Real Valladolid 0:1 RCD Espanyol
Mar 3, 2019: RCD Espanyol 1:0 Real Valladolid
Sept 28, 2019: RCD Espanyol 3:2 Real Valladolid
SD EIBAR (1-1-1)
Sept 29, 2018: RCD Espanyol 3:2 SD Eibar
Jan 19, 2019: SD Eibar 3:0 RCD Espanyol
Sept 14, 2019: SD Eibar 1:1 RCD Espanyol
SD HUESCA (1-1-0)
Oct 21, 2018: SD Huesca 2:3 RCD Espanyol
Feb 23, 2019: RCD Espanyol 1:1 SD Huesca
SEVILLA (0-0-3)
Nov 11, 2018: Sevilla 3:1 RCD Espanyol
Mar 17, 2019: RCD Espanyol 2:5 Sevilla
Aug 18, 2019: RCD Espanyol 1:4 Sevilla
VALENCIA CF (1-0-2)
Aug 26, 2018: RCD Espanyol 0:2 Valenica CF
Feb 17, 2019: Valencia CF 3:2 RCD Espanyol
Sept 22, 2019: RCD Espanyol 1:0 Valencia CF
VILLARREAL CF (0-1-1)
Oct 7, 2018: RCD Espanyol 1:3 Villarreal CF
Feb 3, 2019: Villarreal CF 0:0 RCD Espanyol
WERDER BREMEN (0-1-0)
July 8, 2018: Werder Bremen 3:3 RCD Espanyol (Champions Trophy)
WOLFSBURG (0-1-0)
July 4, 2018: RCD Espanyol 1:1 Wolfsburg (Champions Trophy)
RCD ESPANYOL HISTORY
2018-19 Season:
La Liga: (15-12-11) 59 points, 7th place
Copa de Espana: Round of 32 (3:5 Deportivo Alaves)
MVP: Carles Alena, 37 appearances, 7 goals, 8 assists, 8 MOTM, 2 POTM
Recap: RCD Espanyol exceeded preseason expectations with a seventh place finish and qualification for the 2019-20 UEFA Europa League. The club had a disappointing loss in the round of 32 of the Copa de Espana to Deportivo Alaves. New manager Raul Tamudo's youth movement is underway and this club has a bright future.
2018-19 Season:
La Liga Champion: Real Madrid (28-6-4) 90 points
Copa de Espanal Champion: FC Barcelona (defeated Valencia CF 2:1)
Champions League: Manchester City (defeated Juventus 2:1)
Euro League: Sporting CP (defeated Besiktas JK 2:1)
Relegated to Segunda Division: Levante UD, SD Huesca, CD Leganes
Promoted to La Liga: UD Las Palmas, RC Deportivo, Real Sporting
Player of the Year: Antoine Griezmann, Atletico Madrid
Keeper of the Year: Jan Oblak, Atletico Madrid
Manager of the Year: Santiago Solari, Real Madrid
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FORMATION: 4-1-4-1
This is the preseason roster for RCD Espanyol. The roster looks pretty solid, but the board wants us to sign a crucial 1st team player assigned to midfield or forward, so we may be adding some help up front.
RCD Espanyol will open the inaugural season under new manager Raul Tamudo in Holland at the Champions Trophy Tournament. They will be grouped with Ajax (Holland), Wolfsburg (Germany), and Werder Bremen (Germany). The others participating are: PSV (Holland), Feyenoord (Holland), Crystal Palace (England) and OGC Nice (France).
Highlights of their La Liga schedule are the two Derbi Barceloni matches on December 8th at home and March 23 at Camp Nou. They have a brutal stretch of matches in March facing Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla and Barcelona all in a row.
The club will face Deportivo Alaves in the opening round of the Copa de Espana on October 31 (away) and December 4 (home).
I'll do an effort, good luck in defeating both game against Real Madrid.
Holland (AP) - RCD Espanyol accepted an invitation to the Champions Trophy Tournament held in the Netherlands. It would be a very good test for new manager Raul Tamudo. Espanyol coul dnot advance past the group stage though, drawing all three matches and finishing in third place in Group A. They drew 1:1 with Wolfsburg, 3:3 with Werder Bremen, then 4:4 with Ajax.
The Ajax game was a thriller as Ajax scored twice in the opening 10 minutes with Espanyol needing a win to advance. They would draw even at 2:2 at the break thanks to goals from Hernan Perez and Pablo Piatti. After Kasper Dolberg put Ajax ahead early in the second half, Sergio Garcia immediately tied the match with a cracker, then Oscar Duarte put Espanyol ahead in the 77th minute and it looked like they would advance. But David Neres picked up a loose ball in the Espanyol box late and struck home the match tying goal in the 88th minute to send Ajax through, and send Espanyol home.
All in all, not a bad tournament, but three draws and eight goals allowed is something that the club will need to work on heading into La Liga play in just over a month.
OGC Nice would go on to win the Champions Trophy, defeating Crystal Palace 2-0 in the final. Ajax fell to OG Nice in the semifinals 2-0, and Crystal Palace defeated Werder Bremen 2-1 in the other semifinal. RCD Espanyol's Estaban Granero was named the player of the tournament. He scored two goals and had two assists to lead all players with four points in the tourney.
No losses but as you say, the defense will need to improve if the team wants to meet its goals for the year.
There are these things that keep coming back in every career mode posted here and are clearly related to the algorithms of the game, whether that's Ajax' defense, bias against Barcelona and so far I've noticed Borussia Dortmund doing really poor in every first season of almost every career mode out here.
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - The 2018-19 season is quickly approaching and RCD Espanyol are getting ready for their first campaign under new manager and club legend, Raul Tamudo. The board of directors is asking for a mid-table finish in Tamudo's first campaign and that seems reasonable. The media is a bit more suspect of Espanyol and Tamudo, feeling that they will finish 13th. Tamudo has already begun to move players that he feels do not fit into the club's future plans as he hopes to build this club up from their youth academy.
RCD Espanyol began the summer by moving a couple of expensive and aging veterans. Hernan Perez was transferred to Ajax after the summer Champions Trophy Tournament for a transfer fee of $11.8M. Center Back David Lopez was transferred to Olympique Marsaille for a transfer fee of $15.3M. The 28-year-old was a projected starter, but manager Raul Tamudo felt that the price was too good to pass up and they club can fill in that position with younger, less expensive talent.
32-year-old backup keeper Roberto has been sold to Vitesse for $6M. He could have been in the mix next season as starter Diego Lopez is now 36, but youngster Edu Frias has been coming along nicely so it made Roberto expendable.
The club has loaned young central midfielder Alex Lopez to Feyenoord in the Eredivisie. The 21-year-old was looking for playing time and he should get some there.
The club has added a young potential superstar in Carles Alena from Barcelona. The 20-year-old central midfielder and right winger comes in with a ton of potential and manager Raul Tamudo was thrilled with the acquisition. "We think that Alena could be the centerpiece of a great winning tradition that is about to begin here."
The club renegotiated with young 19-year-old keeper Edu Frias on a four year deal that will pay him $2,100/week. The club feels that he has a ton of potential and that locking him up at this price is huge for the club.
RC CELTA VIGO 1:1 RCD ESPANYOL
Abanca-Balaidos (Capacity: 29,000)
David Abraham slides home the opening goal of the match for Celta.
SCORING:
41' - (CEL) - D. Abraham
90'+ - (ESP) - O. Melendo
DISCIPLINE:
None
8/18/18
Vigo, Galicia (AP) - The La Liga debut for new RCD Espanyol manager Raul Tamudo and young midfielder Carles Alena couldn't have gone much better as Espanyol tallied late to draw at Celta Vigo 1-1 at Abanca-Balaidos. Alena setup the match tying goal in extra time as he slid a perfect through ball to Oscar Meledo, who did not fluff his lines, and beat Celta Vigo keeper Sergio as RCD Espanyol salvaged a draw in their season opener.
Celta Vigo grabbed the lead in the 41st minute off of a corner. Defender David Abraham, making his Celta debut, headed one off of the bar, then put back the rebound to put Celta up 1-0. Sergi Darder would have a glorious chance to tie moments later, but his left footed shot sailed just wide of the far post.
Iago Aspas missed on a chance to put Celta up by two early in the second half, as he got behind the Espanyol defense, but his shot was just tipped over the bar by Diego Lopez.
Carles Alena, making his Espanyol debut, came on as a substitue in the 55th minute, replacing Estaban Grenaro. Alena made an immediate impact and showed glimpses of what the future may hold in the Espanyol midfield. His vision and passes setup a few excellent chances. Alena himself had a great chance to tie in the 85th minute, taking a pass from Leo Baptistao, but hitting it over the bar.
RCD Espanyol ended up outshooting Celta 11-8 (6-2 in the second half), and held possession for 56% of the match. All in all, not a bad debut for Tamudo and RCD.
Up next, Espanyol returns home to face Valencia.
Matchday 1 Results:
Girona 3:2 Valladolid
Real Betis 2:0 Levante
Vilareal 1:1 Real Sociedad
Barcelona 3:1 Alaves
Eibar 1:0 Huesca
Rayo Vallecano 1:2 Sevilla
Real Madrid 3:0 Getafe
Valencia 1:2 Atletico Madrid
Athletic Bilbao 3:2 Leganes
RCD Espanyol have acquired striker Emmanuel Boateng from Levante UD for a transfer fee of $17.2M. The 22-year-old fits perfectly into manager Raul Tamudo's fast paced and youthful mold. Tamudo said that he expects to rotate Boateng in with Sergio Garcia and Bonja Iglesias at the striker position and even hinted that he may be open to moving the 35-year-old Garcia if the price is right.
RCD ESPANYOL 0:2 VALENCIA CF
RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)
Michy Batshuayi redirects a cross to give Valencia the lead.
SCORING:
32' - (VAL) - M. Batshuayi
66' - (VAL) - G. Kondogbia
DISCIPLINE:
88' - (ESP) - M. Roca (Red)
8/26/18
Barcelona (AP) - RCD Espanyol dropped their home opening match and first match under the direction of new manager Raul Tamudo, 2-0 to visiting Valencia CF. Michy Batshuayi was deservedly the man of the match, scoring the opening goal in the 32nd minute, then assisting on Geoffrey Kondogbia's goal in the 66th minute.
Espanyol was outshot 10-7 and really did not have many good scoring chances. Leo Baptistao hit one over the bar as time expired in the opening half, and newly acquired Emmanuel Boateng hit one over the bar in the 74th minute for the best two chances that Espanyol would see all match.
Valencia played very tight in the back and really took advantage of their chances. Michy Batshuayi opened the scoring in the 32nd minute as he redirected home a cross from Wendell. He had a great chance to make it 2-0 in the 55th minute but DIego Lopez made a great save on a shot from just inside the six yard box. Batshuayi then setup up Geoffrey Kondogbia's goal with a gorgeous through ball in the 66th minute to seal it.
Marc Roca was sent off in the 88th minute as he tripped up Batshuayi from behind. It looked more like a frustration foul and now he will miss Espanyol's next match at Deportivo Alaves.
Matchday 2 Results:
Getafe 1:1 Eibar
Leganes 0:1 Real Sociedad
Alaves 1:2 Real Betis
Atletico Madrid 2: Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Valladolid 1:2 Barcelona
Sevilla 1:2 Villarreal
Girona 1:2 Real Madrid
Levante 1:1 Celta Vigo
Athletic Bilbao 2:1 Heusca
The biggest moves on deadline day involved La Liga teams, two involving Real Madrid. First they sent defensive midfielder Casemiro to Manchester CIty for a $90.1M fee. They then acquired midfielder Sergei Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio for $104.7M.
Villareal sent midfielder Manu Trigueros to Tottenham Hotspur for $62.5M.
RCD Espanyol fielded some offers but did not move anyone else at the deadline.
The total amount spent across all leagues was $323M.
Here is a summary of Espanyol's transfers since July 1.
DEPORTIVO ALAVES 1:5 RCD ESPANYOL
Mendizorrotza (Capacity: 19,840)
Borja Iglesius celebrates his early goal.
SCORING:
5' - (ESP) - B. Iglesius
22' - (ALA) - M. Garcia
45' - (ESP) - Alena
54' - (ESP) - Granero
69' - (ESP) - Melendo
89' - (ESP) - Melendo
DISCIPLINE:
None
9/1/18
Vitoria-Gasteiz, ESP (AP) - Espanyol picked up their first victory on the 2018-19 campaign on Saturday afternoon with a 5-1 thrashing of Deportivo Alaves at Mendizorratza. Carles Alena and Borja Iglesius each scored a goal and assisted on two others in the victory.
Borja Iglesius got the party started in the fifth minute, taking a pretty pass from Carles Alena at the top of the six yard box. He turned and fired it into the bottom right corner to give Espanyol the early lead.
Deportivo Alaves would find an unlikely equalizer in the 22nd minute, against the run of play. Ibai Gomez stole the ball in the Espanyol penalty area and fed a ball that Many Garcia one-timed into the top right corner to level the score.
From that point forward, Espanyol just dominated the play. They would get their reward just before halftime as Carles Alena one timed a perfect through ball from Igelsius into the upper right corner to send Espanyol to the half with the lead. Alena would send a perfect ball into the box early in the second half thatEstaban Granero would run onto and slip past the Alaves keeper to make it 3-1. Substitute Oscar Melendo would score twice late to close out the scoring as give manager Raul Tamudo his first victory.
Espanyol outshot Alaves 13-4, and held the ball for 58% of the match. Carles Alena picked up Man of the Match honors. The youngster has been everything that Espanyol had hoped for since they acquired him from Barcelona in early August.
RCD Espanyol (1-1-1, 4 pts) returns home after the international break to take on Levante a week from Sunday.
Matchday 3 Results:
Levante UD 0:0 Valencia
Eibar 1:2 Real Sociedad
Getafe 1:1 Real Valladolid
Barcelona 2:1 Heusca
Rayo Vallecano 2:1 Athletic Bilbao
Celta Vigo 0:1 Atletico Madrid
Villareal 1:3 Girona
Real Madrid 3:1 CD Leganes
Real Betis 3:1 Sevilla
I really like Boateng. I used him in FIFA 18 and he was a great player who has the pace to open up a game.
Sad to see Aleña with this shirt... He's not a unique case though. I hope he can find his way there as others did.
RCD ESPANYOL 0:3 LEVANTE UD
RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)
Jose Morales doubled his pleasure on Saturday afternoon in Levante's victory.
SCORING:
20' - (LEV) - Roger
45'+ - (LEV) - J. Morales
73' - (LEV) - J. Morales
DISCIPLINE:
NONE
9/16/18
Barcelona (AP) - RCD Espanyol returned to action on Sunday evening after the international break and looked rather sluggish in a surprising 3-nil home loss to Levante U.D. Jose Morales scored twice for the visitors as RCD Espanyol fell to (1-1-2) on the young season.
Roger got Levante on the scoreboard in the 20th minute following a giveaway from Espanyol in their own end. Samuel Garcia took the ball away from Didac Vila, passed it to Sanjin Prcic, who threaded a beautiful through ball that Roger one-timed home.
Sergi Darder had a chance for an equalizer just moments later, but his shot sailed just over the bar.
Samuel Garcia looked to put the visitors up 2-0 in teh 30th minute as he one-timed a cross past Diego Lopez, but he was ruled to be just offside. It wouldn't matter though as just before the break, Jose Morales scored on a beautiful sliding kick past a diving Lopez in injury time to send visitors to the break up by two. Espanyol controlled play in the opening half, outshooting Levante 11-5 and holding possession for 61% of the time, but they could not cash in on their opportunities.
Sergi Darder once again had a great chance to pull Espanyol back into the match in the 72nd minute, but his shot rolled just past the far post. Jose Morales would then seal it moments later as he hit a cracker off of a rebound past Diego Lopez to make it 3-0.
Espanyol would outshoot Levante 16-15 and held possession for 60% of the match but Levante's defense and counter attacking style limited any good scoring chances and they made the most of their opportunities.
The lone bright spot for Espanyol was the continued strong play from youngster Carles Alena. He found a spot in the starting eleven and he did not disappoint.
Up next for RCD Espanyol, it won't get any easier as they head south to Madrid to take on Real Madrid (3-0-1) next Sunday afternoon. Real Madrid is coming off their first loss on the season, losing on the road to Athletic Club 1-0.
Matchday 4 Results:
Athletic Bilbao 1:0 Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid 3:1 Eibar
Real Sociedad 1:2 Barcelona
Valencia 3:0 Real Betis
CD Leganes 0:1 Villareal
Real Valladolid 1:2 Deportivo Alaves
Girona 2:1 Celta Vigo
Huesca 1:2 Rayo Vallecano
Sevilla 1:0 Getafe
REAL MADRID 1:2 RCD ESPANYOL
Santiago Bernabeu (Capacity: 81,044)
Emmanuel Boateng made a big contribution in huge upset.
SCORING:
11' - (ESP) - E. Boateng
49' - (RMA) - M. Asensio
60' - (ESP) - N. Fernandez (OG)
DISCIPLINE:
90' - (RMA) - A. Odriozola (Yellow)
9/23/18
Madrid, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol walked into Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday afternoon with a plan, and they carried it out, frustrating one of the top side in Spanish football and stunning Real Madrid 2-1. Manager Raul Tamudo decided that his side would pack it in defensively, then attack Real Madrid on the counter attack and his plan was carried out perfectly.
Tamudo also decided that with this plan, he would need the speed of newcomer Emmanuel Boateng to create chances and that is just what the young striker did. Sengi Darder sent a through ball that Emmanuel Boateng ran onto and one-timed past keeper Thibaut Courtois to give Espanyol a stunning 1-nil lead just 11 minutes in.
Darder would bounced one off of the cross bar just four minutes later on a counter attack off of a beautiful cross from Leo Bautistao.
Real Madrid just could not unlock the Espanyol defense early on, but newcomer Sergej Milinkovic-Savic narrowly missed tying the match with a laser just wide of the right post in the 23rd minute. The teams would go to the half with Espanyol clinging to the 1-nil lead with both sides managing just two shots apiece.
Real Madrid would finally unlock Espanyol very early in half two. Marco Asensio split the Espanyol defense and hit the lower right corner of the net past a diving Diego Lopez to level the match in the 49th minute.
You had the feeling that Real Madrid was going to take over the match and Espanyol might wilt. But it did not happen. Emmanuel Boateng got free again in the 60th minute and his shot was saved by Courtois, but the rebound deflected into his own goal by defender Nacho Fernandez to put Espanyol back in front 2-1.
Real would then turn up the heat. Toni Kross sailed one just over the bar in the 74th minute. Milinkovic-Savic missed again just wide, this time to the left in the 86th minute. Gareth Bale headed one off of the crossbar in the 89th minute off of a corner, but they would not find an equalizer and Espanyol held on to the unlikely win.
Real Madrid would outshoot Espanyol 8-3 with five of those shots on target, but David Lopez was up to the task. Sergi Darder was you Man of the Match playing a solid role in defensive central midfield.
Afterwards, manager Raul Tamudo was elated, "We came in with a plan. It was to limit Real's chances and then take advantage of any opportunities that might come our way. We chose Emmanuel Boateng because of his speed and he was crucial in the victory."
RCD Espanyol improved to (2-1-2) on the season, and (2-1-0) away from RCDE Stadium. Up next is a home date on Wednesday evening against SD Eibar.
Matchday 5 Results:
Barcelona 3:1 Girona
Getafe 1:3 Atletico Madrid
Eibar 2:0 Leganes
Huesca 1:2 Real Sociedad
Rayo Vallecano 0:1 Alaves
Villareal 2:1 Valencia
Celta Vigo 0:2 Real Valladolid
Levante 1:2 Sevilla
RCD ESPANYOL 3:2 SD EIBAR
RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)
Oscar Melendo breaks the tie with a late winner for Espanyol.
SCORING:
9' - (ESP) - P. Diop (OG)
51' - (ESP) - S. Garcia
64' - (EIB) - S. Enrich
76' - (EIB) - S. Enrich
81' - (ESP) - O. Melendo
DISCIPLINE:
65' - (EIB) - P. Diop (Yellow)
9/26/18
Barcelona (AP) - RCD Espanyol built a 2-nil lead, blew it, then scored late to pull out a 3-2 victory over SD Eibar at RCDE Stadium in a mid-week La Liga match. Oscar Melendo scored in the 81st minute, his fourth goal in La Liga, to help Espanyol to thier first home victory on the campaign.
Espanyol went in front in the ninth minute thanks to some luck. A Carles Alena rocket off of the cross bar bounced high into the box and Eibar defender Pape Diop tried to head the ball wide but directed it into his own goal to put Espanyol up 1-nil. Espanyol controlled play for most of the opening half, holding a 64-36% advantage in possession amd outshooting Eibar 6-4.
RCD Espanyol would add to their lead just after halftime as striker Sergei Garcia slipped one into the right corner in the 51st minute to make it 2-nil. Garcia, getting his first start since the loss to Valencia made manager Raul Tamudo's selection a good one.
But SD Eibar did not crumble and got a just reward in the 64th minute as Sergi Enrich tapped home a rebound form just inside the six yard box to get Eibar on the board. Enrich would strike again minutes later, directing a header into the top right corner on a cross from Diego Laxalt to tie the match in the 76th minute.
Espanyol would get a chance a few minutes later as Sergi Darder sent a through ball into the box that Oscar Melendo struck into the right side netting just inside the post to put Espanyol up 3-2. They would hold on and pick up their second straight win and third on the season.
SD Eibar would outshoot Espanyol 11-9, but it wasn't good enough to pick up the win. Sergi Darder earned Man of the Match honors for a second straight game as Espanyol (3-1-2) moved up to sixth in the La Liga table with 10 points.
Up next is a trip back to Madrid for a date with Rayo Vallecano (2-1-3, 7 pts) on Sunday afternoon.
Matchday 6 Results:
Alaves 0:2 Getafe
Real Sociedad 1:1 Rayo Vallecano
Atletico Madrid 3:1 Heusca
Leganes 1:2 Barcelona
Girona 0:1 Real Betis
Valencia 0:2 Celta Vigo
Real Valladolid 0:0 Levante
Athletic Bilbao 1:2 Villarreal
Sevilla 1:1 Real Madrid
RAYO VALLECANO 1:1 RCD ESPANYOL
Camp de Football de Vallecano (Capacity: 14,708)
Bonja Iglesius celebrates a match tying goal for Espanyol.
SCORING:
42' - (RAY) - De Tomas
66' - (ESP) - B. Iglesius
DISCIPLINE:
84' - (ESP) - S. Darder (Red)
9/30/18
Madrid, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol went back on the road on Sunday evening and came away with a rather uninspiring 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano. Bonja Iglesius scored in the 66th minute to help Espanyol pull out the draw.
Rayo Vallecano pressed Espanyol and really took the play to them in the opening half. They would finally unlock the Espanyol defense late in the half as Jason headed a cross into the box that De Tomas headed it past Diego Lopez in teh 42nd minute to put the home side in front.
Antonin Barak had a great chance to put Vallecano up by two early in the second half but his shot sailed just over the bar in the 52nd minute.
Leo Batistao looked like he would tie it in the 64th minute but his shot from just left of the penalty spot sailed just wide of the right post. Moments later it was Bonja Iglesius who would find the back of the net to tie the match up.
Vallecano had a golden opportunity to retake the lead in the 77th minute, but Jason's bicycle kick from the top of the six went just wide. Leo Baptistao sent a free kick from 30 yards out, off of the post in the 90th minute. De Tomas then had a golden opportunity in the closing moments, but his left footed shot went just wide of the far post.
Rayo Vallecano outshot Espanyol 13-10 and really looked to be the better side but the teams settled for a draw.
Espanyol (3-2-2, 11 pts) returns home next Sunday against Villarreal CF (5-1-1, 16 pts) in a big early season test.
Matchday 7 Results:
Real Betis 1:2 Leganes
Barcelona 4:0 Athletic Bilbao
SD Eibar 0:2 Sevilla
Real Sociedad 1:3 Valencia
Real Madrid 0:2 Atletico Madrid
Levante 2:1 Alaves
Celta Vigo 1:0 Getafe
Huesca 2:1 Girona
RCD ESPANYOL 1:3 VILLARREAL CF
RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)
Gerard Moreno seals this one with a goal late in injury time for the visitors.
SCORING:
7' - (VIL) - S. Caseras
15' - (ESP) - E. Granero
49' - (VIL) - K. Toko-Ekambi
90'+ - (VIL) - G. Moreno
DISCIPLINE:
NONE
10/7/18
Barcelona (AP) - RCD Espanyol cannot seem to find good form playing at home, and on Sunday evening it was no exception as they dropped a 3-1 decision to red-hot Villarreal CF at RCDE Stadium. Villarreal grabbed an early lead, then retook the lead just after halftime and was able to hold off Espanyol to win their fifth consecutive match.
Santiago Caseras would put Villarreal CF in front in the seventh minute on the first shot of the match, hitting one low and left past Diego Lopez.
Eight minutes later, Estaban Granero would tie it up, slipping a right footed shot into the right corner off of a gorgeous pass from Pablo Piatti. But that was about the extent of chances that Espanyol would have in the opening 45 minutes.
Villarreal had a glorious opportunity to retake the lead late in the half, but Salvio sent one just wide from in close and the teams went to the break tied at 1-1. Villarreal outshot Espanyol 8-4 with possession nearly equal in the opening half.
A bad giveaway from Marc Roca inside his own penalty area set up Villarreal to retake the lead in the 49th minute. Karl Toko-Ekambi took the ball from Roca, dribbled twice and beat Lopez to his left to put Villarreal up 2-1.
Mariano Barbosa would then come up with a couple of great saves to hold the lead. In the 59th minute he stonned Marc Roca on a laser from just inside the box. Then in the 72nd minute, Oscar Melendo hit one off of the crossbar. The rebound came off to Emmanuel Boateng, but his header sailed just wide of the far post with a gaping wide open net to shoot at. Sergio Garcia then rocketed one off of the post in the 90th minute.
Villarreal would salt it away late in extra time when Gerard Moreno put in a rebound off of a shot from Salvio to make the final 3-1.
Villarreal CF (6-1-1, 19 pts) outplayed Espanyol, outshooting them 17-9 and really controlling the pace of play throughout. Espanyol (3-2-3, 11 pts) really had some good chances to equalize but could not find the back of the net and fell to (1-0-3) at RCDE Stadium this campaign.
Your Man of the Match was Santiago Caseras for Villarreal CF. He scored the opening goal and had eight shots, five on target.
Espanyol will now play three straight away from home, at Heusca, at Real Vallodolid, and a Copa de Espana match at Depotivo Alaves. They next home match is not until November 3rd against Athletic Bilbao.
Matchday 8 Results:
Getafe 2:1 Levante
Real Valledolid 1:1 Huesca
Girona 2:2 SD Eibar
Athletic Bilbao 1:1 Real Sociedad
Alaves 1:1 Real Madrid
Leganes 0:1 Rayo Vallecano
Valencia 0:1 Barcelona
Sevilla 2:3 Celta Vigo
Atletico Madrid 3:0 Real Betis
SD HUESCA 2:3 RCD ESPANYOL
Estadio El Alcoraz (Capacity: 7,638)
Oscar Melendo splits the defense and scores the game winner.
SCORING:
9' - (ESP) - S. Darder
27' - (HUE) - J. Hernandez
56' - (ESP) - E. Granero
69' - (HUE) - S. Longo
89' - (ESP) - O. Melendo
DISCIPLINE:
2' - (HUE) - A. Gallar
10/21/18
Huesca, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol is starting to look like road warriors. On Sunday evening, they once again pulled one out on the road, getting a late winner from Oscar Melendo on their way to a 3-2 victory over SD Huesca. Espanyol in now (3-2-0) away from RDCE Stadium.
Espanyol got off to a quick start as Sergi Dardi one-timed a pass from Pablo Piatti into the top right corner just nine minutes in to put Espanyol up 1-nil. Leo Baptistao had a chance to increase the lead in the 19th minute, but his header sailed just over the bar.
SD Huesca's pressing style would pay off with a big turnover deep in Espanyol's end as Marc Rosa gave the ball away to Alex Gallar. He sent a through ball in and Juan Camilo Hernandez bent one just inside the left post to tie the game at 1-1 in the 27th minute. Hernandez almost put Huesca up just before halftime, but his header went just wide of the left post.
A beautiful passing play between Sergi Darder, Pablo Piatti and Estaban Grenaro setup Espanyol's second goal in the 56th minute.
Diego Lopez made a huge stop on Juan Camilo Hernandez from point blank range in the 69th minute. But SD Huesca would get on equalizer off of the corner. The ball was sent into the box, got bounced around and Samuele Longo put the rebound over Lopez to equalize.
Oscar Melendo came on in the 74th minute and immediately made an impact. He just missed putting Espanyol up in the 79th minute as his shot sailed just wide of the left post. Espanyol kept the pressure on and in the dying moments Sergio Garcia sent a beautiful through ball onto Oscar Melendo. He ran onto it, split the defense and sent the ball into the lower left corner to give Espanyol the lead. It was Melendo's fifth La Liga goal on the campaign.
Pablo Piatti picked up MOTM honors with two assists.
Espanyol (4-2-3, 14 pts) will next head to Valladolid on Saturday to take on Real Valladolid (1-3-5, 6 pts) who currently sit in the relegation zone.
Matchday 9 Results:
Barcelona 1:1 Sevilla
SD Eibar 2:1 Athletic Bilbao
Valencia 3:1 Leganes
Real Madrid 3:1 Levante
Villarreal 2:1 Atletico Madrid
Rayo Vallecano 1:2 Getafe
Real Betis 1:0 Real Valladolid
Celta Vigo 0:2 Alaves
Real Sociedad 0:1 Girona
REAL VALLADOLID 0:1 RCD ESPANYOL
Estadio Jose Zorrilla (Capacity: 26,512)
Pablo Piatti scored in the second minute.
SCORING:
2' - (ESP) - P. Piatti
DISCIPLINE:
35' - (VLL) - O. Plano (Yellow)
10/27/18
Valladolid, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol continued it's marvelous play away from home on Saturday evening as they won 1-nil over Real Valladolid at Estadio Jose Zorrilla. Pablo Piatti score the only goal if the match in the second minute as he got behind the Valladolid defense and beat keeper Yoel after collecting a beautiful long pass from Estaban Granero.
Valladolid pressed Espanyol and despite not owning a possession advantage, looked to be the better side in the opening 45 minutes, outshooting the guests 8-6. Oscar Plano knocked one over the cross bar in the seventh minute, and young keeper Edu Frias made a couple of great stops. The first was on Oscar Plano from just outside the six yard box, and then on the 43rd minute, he robbed Keko after an Espanyol giveaway. Frias, making his first start, earned Espanyol's first clean sheet on the campaign.
The second half was controlled by Espanyol, outshooting Valladolid 9-4 and really having some great opportunities to go up by more than a goal. Yoel made a huge save on Carles Alena in the 49th minute to keep it a one goal match. Pablo Piatti headed one off the right post in the 50th minute, and Alena hit both posts on a shot that somehow stayed out in the 59th minute.
Sergi Darder shot one just wide from just outside the penalty spot in the 72nd minute. Alberto Guitian almost equalized for the home side in the 76th minute, but his volley off of a corner sailed just over the bar. Espanyol would get one more great chance in the 84th minute as Alena setup Bonja Iglesius for what looked like a sure goal, but he fluffed his lines and knocked the ball off of the left post.
With the victory, Espanyol improved to (4-2-0) away from home and (5-2-3, 17 pts) overall. They will travel to Vitoria-Gasteiz on Wednesday for a Round of 32 Copa de Espana tie with Deportivo Alaves.
Matchday 10 Results:
Barcelona 1:2 Real Madrid
Athletic Bilbao 1:1 Valencia CF
Atletico Madrid 3:1 Real Sociedad
Celta Vigo 0:1 SD Eibar
Levante 1:1 Leganes
Seviila 1:2 SD Huesca
Alaves 1:1 Villarreal CF
Getafe 0:1 Real Betis
Girona 1:0 Rayo Vallecano