Emmanuel Boateng scores off of a scramble in front.
SCORING:
5' - (ESP) - E. Boateng
54' - (ESP) - E. Granero
DISCIPLINE:
19' - (ESP) - P. Piatti (Yellow)
76' - (ESP) - M. Hermosa (Yellow)
2/9/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - Espanyol posted their second straight clean sheet on Saturday as they blanked Rayo Vallecano 2-nil at RCDE Stadium. Edu Frias, named the starter after the team dealt veteran Diego Lopez, has not allowed a goal since the move cementing his spot on the first-team sheet.
Espanyol got off to a quick start as Emmanuel Boateng scored after a wild scramble in the box in the fifth minute. They would get a couple more chances late in the opening half as Sergi Darder struck one over the cross bar in the 39th minute, and Leo Baptistao was stopped by Vallecano keeper Alberto in the 43rd minute.
Espanyol would extend their lead in the 54th minute. Carles Alena passed to Estaban Granero at the top of the box, he dribbled past a screen set by Pablo Piatti and left footed one into the top of the net. Sergi Darder sent Emmanuel Boateng in all alone with a beautiful through ball in the 87th minute, but Alberto was able to get a hand on Boateng's shot, sending it over the bar.
Carles Alena picked up Man of the Match honors for the fifth time this season.
Up next for Espanyol (10-5-8, 35 pts) is a trip to Valencia next Sunday afternoon as they will face Valencia CF (9-6-8, 33 pts).
Matchday 23 Results:
Atletico Madrid 0:3 Real Madrid
Alaves 0:1 Levante
Valencia CF 0:3 Real Sociedad
Athletic Bilbao 0:0 Barcelona
Leganes 1:2 Real Betis
Getafe 1:2 Celta Vigo
Sevilla 1:2 SD Eibar
Girona 1:1 Huesca
Real Valladolid 1:1 Villarreal CF
VALENCIA CF 3:2 RCD ESPANYOL Estadi de Mestalla (Capacity: 55,000)
Edu Frias and Espanyol looking dejected after losing in the closing moments.
SCORING:
25' - (ESP) - S. Darder
57' - (VAL) - G. Guedes
78' - (VAL) - D. Wass
85' - (ESP) - M. Roca
90' - (VAL) - K. Gameiro
DISCIPLINE:
29' - (ESP) - L. Lopez (Red)
34' - (ESP) - E. Granero (Yellow)
57' - (ESP) - L. Baptistao (Yellow)
75' - (ESP) - C. Alena (Yellow)
2/17/19
Valencia, ESP (AP) - Espanyol took an early lead, then went a man down and could not hold off the host Valencia CF on Sunday afternoon as they dropped a 3-2 decision at the Mestalla. Kevin Grameiro ran onto a long pass from Cristiano Piccini on a Valencia counter attack in the closing moments and blasted it past a helpless Edu Frias to give Valencia the well deserved 3-2 victory.
Espanyol grabbed the lead in the 25th minute. Pablo Piatti sent a cross into the box, that got cleared, but right to Estaban Granero. He sent a beautiful through ball to Sergi Darder right at the six yard box and he one timed it through the legs of Norberto Neto to give Espanyol the lead.
Just minutes later, a pivotal moment occurred as defender LLuis Lopez tackled Michy Batshuayi from behind at the top of the Espanyol box, and he was sent off. Valencia's Rodrigo would have a great chance to tie in the 40th minute, but his header grazed just over the bar.
Sergi Darder should have made it 2-nil just before halftime, but his crack from just inside the box hit the post and stayed out.
Valencia would finally unlock Espanyol after halftime. Rodrigo sent a perfect through ball that Goncalo Guedes ran onto and one-timed a left footed shot past Edu Frias to level the match. It was the first goal allowed by Espanyol in 292 minutes.
Playing down a man, Espanyol was packing it in defensively, but Valencia would find room again in the 78th minute. Daniel Wass dribbled through the midfield, made a nice move on Carles Alena to create space, then sent a cracker in off the bottom of the bar to put Valencia ahead 2-1.
Marc Roca would tie it just seven minutes later off of a great pass from defender Oscar Duarte. It appeared as though the match would end in a draw after Oscar Melndo sent a shot over the bar in injury time. But after another Espanyol attack, a turnover led to the deadly Valencia counter that Kevin Gramiero scored the match winner on.
Valencia CF (10-6-8, 36 pts) moved into seventh position, just ahead of Espanyol with the victory. They outshot Espanyol 16-6 and held a slight possession advantage 54-45%. Valencia won both match ups with Espanyol this season, winning earlier at RCDE Stadium 2-nil back in August.
Espanyol (10-5-9, 35 pts) heads home to take on SD Huesca (5-4-15, 19 pts), who currently sit in the 19th position, on Saturday.
Matchday 24 Results:
Barcelona 3:0 Real Valladolid
Celta Vigo 2:1 Levante
SD Eibar 0:2 Getafe
Real Madrid 2:0 Girona
Huesca 0:1 Athletic Bilbao
Rayo Vallecano 1:1 Atletico Madrid
Real Sociedad 4:0 Leganes
Real Betis 2:1 Alaves
Villarreal 1:1 Sevilla
Juan Camilo Hernandez cannot believe that he missed a chance late.
SCORING:
9' - (HUE) - S. Gurler
41' - (ESP) - L. Baptistao
DISCIPLINE:
20' - (ESP) - L. Baptistao (Yellow)
81' - (HUE) - C. Akapo (Yellow)
2/23/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol managed a 1-1 draw against lowly SD Huesca on Saturday evening at RCDE Stadium. Those two dropped points could loom large as Espanyol fights for a European spot with the season winding down. Leo Baptistao's goal in the 41st minute helped Espanyol salvage what would have been an embarassing loss to a team that sits squarely in the relegation zone.
Huesca came out and pressed Espanyol just like they did in their earlier meeting and it worked again. Samuele Longo headed one just over the bar off of a corner kick in the 7th minute for a great scoring opportunity. Just two minutes later it was Serdar Gurler who would put Huesca in front as he one-timed a perfect through ball from Juan Aguilera past Edu Frias.
In the 13th minute Estaban Granero had a glorious opportunity to level the match as he had space at the top of the box, but he leaned back just a touch and his shot sailed over the bar. Samuele Longo nearly put the visitors up by two in the 21st minute, but he volleyed one just wide of the left post.
Carles Alena sent a long ball into Emmanuel Boateng in the 31st minute. Boateng split the defense and got in all alone on Axel Werner, but the Huesca keeper came up with a huge save to keep the score 1-nil. Finally, in the 41st minute, Pablo Piatti would send a nice ball into Boateng in the box. He drew a defender and the keeper to the left and he passed to a wide open Leo Baptistao, who tapped it in to level the match.
Espanyol fans and players were going nuts in the 77th minute when Sean Maguire was tackled in the box, but the referee felt it was not a foul. Moments later on the counter attack Juan Camilo Hernandez hit one just wide of the Espanyol goal. Hernandez would volley a header over the bar just minutes later as Huesca applied the pressure.
Sean Maguire would get another opportunity in the 88th minute as he took a slick pass from Carles Alena, and got in alone on Werner, but the Huesca keeper came up big again with the stop to keep the match tied at 1-1. Oscar Duarte would save the match for Espayol in the dying moments as he cleared a ball off of the line that had gotten past Frias to preserve the point.
Espayol (10-6-9, 36 pts) would outshoot SD Huesca (5-5-15, 20 pts) by a 12-8 margin, and really held a big advantage in corners at 9-1, but could not find a winner. Espanyol will host Real Valladolid (6-8-11, 26 pts) next Sunday.
Midweek:
Levante 1:2 Getafe
Girona 1:1 FC Barcelona
Matchday 25 Results:
Alaves 0:1 Celta Vigo
Athletic Bilbao 1:0 SD Eibar
Levante 0:2 Real Madrid
Getafe 1:1 Rayo Vallecano
Girona 0:1 Real Sociedad
Sevilla 0:3 FC Barcelona
Atletico Madrid 3:1 Villarreal CF
Real Valladolid 0:1 Real Betis
Round of 16 Draw:
Fenerbahce vs. Napoli
Besiktas vs. Stade Rennais
Atalanta vs. Leverkusen
Sporting CP vs. FC Porto
Olympiacos CFP vs. KRC Genk
Dortmund vs. Olympique Marsaille
Villarreal CF vs. Lazio
Olympique Lyon vs. Chelsea
As Valencia and Barcelona will play the final of LaCopa, the 7th position is open for a new UEL spot. Good news for Espanyol, although they should avoid draws against teams like Huesca.
RCD ESPANYOL 1:0 REAL VALLADOLID RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)
Sean Maguire scores the only goal of the match in the 17th minute.
SCORING:
17' - (ESP) - S. Maguire
DISCIPLINE:
52' - (ESP) - E. Granero (Yellow)
90' - (ESP) - O. Melendo (Yellow)
3/3/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - It wasn't pretty, but Espanyol earned full points on Sunday afternoon as they held off a feisty Real Valladolid 1-nil at RCDE Stadium. Sean Maguire, the man of the match, scored the lone goal as he put in his own rebound in the 17th minute to provide all of the scoring.
Real Valladolid played the same attacking, smothering style that they have played all season and it frustrated Espanyol the entire match. It was tough to pass and keep possession, something that Espanyol usually dominates in matches.
Neither team had many chances after Maguire's goal in the 17th minute. Valledolid's best opportunity came in the 39th minute when Enes Unal hit the far post.
The second half was more of the same, plenty of scattered play in the midfield with neither team holding possession for very long. Pablo Piatti sent a nice pass into Sean Maguire that he knocked over the bar in the 59th minute.
Real Valladolid (6-8-12, 26 pts) had a chance to equalize late after a foul against Espanyol. Enes Unal sent in the long free kick that Kiko Olivas headed off of the woodwork.
The win capped a double for Espanyol (11-6-9, 39 pts) over Real Valladolid. They won in Valladolid back on October 27th by a similar 1-nil score.
Sean Maguire was your Man of the Match with seven shots, three on target, and the lone goal.
Up next is a trip to Bilbao to take on Athletic Club (7-7-12, 28 pts) who currently sit in 13th place in La Liga.
Matchday 26 Results:
Real Betis 2:1 Getafe
Valencia CF 1:0 Athletic Bilbao
Real Sociedad 1:2 Atletico Madrid
Leganes 1:2 Levante
Real Madrid 2:1 FC Barcelona
Villarreal CF 2:1 Alaves
Huesca 2:! Sevilla
SD Eibar 1:1 Celta Vigo
Rayo Vallecano 0:0 Girona
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol and the La Liga Player of the Month are becoming synonymous. For the third time this season, an RCD Espanyol won the award as Sergi Darder won the honor for the month of February.
Espanyol went (2-2-1) in the month with Darder garnering Man of the Match honors in a 1-1 draw with SD Huesca. He scored a goal and added an assist in the month.
3/9/19
Bilbao, ESP (AP) - Espanyol blew a two goal lead and had to settle for a draw as Athletic Bilbao rallied to find a point at Estadio San Mames. The home side scored twice off of set pieces after halftime to earn the draw.
Espanyol got things going early in this one as Estaban Granero set up Carles Alena perfectly in the third minute and Alena slid the ball into the back of the net to put Espanyol up 1-nil.
Just a quarter of an hour later, Granero once again was the setup man and he found Pablo Piatti, who had lost his defender. Piatti left footed one into the roof of the net and it was 2-nil just 18 minutes in.
Espanyol would take that 2-nil lead into the halftime break and it looked like they were heading towards getting the three points that they needed. But Bilbao had other ideas.
In the 51st minute, Athletic Club had a corner kick that was taken by Markel Susaeta. He sent in a ball to the near post that Aritz Aduriz headed past Edu Frias to get the home side on the board. They would get another chance in the 69th minute with another corner taken by Susaeta. This one was sent to the far post where Raul Garcia got above the Espanyol defense and headed it past both Frias and Sergi Darder to level the match.
Espanyol would get a golden opportunity to retake the lead just minutes later as Marc Rosa sent a beautiful pass to Sean Maguire. He split the Bilbao defense and was in alone, but his shot was somehow kept out by keeper Iago Herrerin to preserve the tie.
Atletic Bilbao (7-8-12, 29 pts) moved two points clear of the relegation zone with the draw. They would outshoot Espanyol 9-8 on the match.
Estaban Granero earned Man of the Match honors with his two assists. Espanyol (11-7-9, 40 pts) remains tied for 7th position with Celta Vigo. That position is currently a Europa League spot as Valencia and FC Barcelona are playing for the Copa de Espana and an automatic Europa League berth, and both sit inside the top six.
Up next for Espanyol is a return home to take on Sevilla FC (8-6-13, 30 pts). A squad also in a fight for it's life from relegation.
Midweek:
Leganes 0:2 Valencia CF
Matchday 27 Results:
Getafe 1:1 Huesca
Atletico Madrid 2:1 Leganes
FC Barcelona 1:0 Rayo Vallecano
Alaves 2:1 SD Eibar
Girona 1:3 Valencia CF
Levante 1:1 Villarreal CF
Celta Vigo 0:1 Real Betis
Real Valladolid 1:1 Real Madrid
Sevilla 1:1 Real Sociedad
RCD ESPANYOL 2:5 SEVILLA FC RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)
Sean Maguire scores the only goal of the match in the 17th minute.
SCORING:
5' - (SEV) - L. Muriel
8' - (SEV) - E. Banega
15' - (SEV) - A. Silva
28' - (ESP) - L. Baptistao
38' - (ESP) - P. Piatti
70' - (SEV) - A. Silva
88' - (SEV) - Wesley
DISCIPLINE:
33' - (ESP) - L. Lopez (Yellow)
45' - (ESP) - E. Boateng (Yellow)
90' - (ESP) - L. Lopez (Yellow/Red)
3/17/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - Espnayol suffered an embarrassing home loss on Sunday afternoon, falling 5-2 to Sevilla FC at RCDE Stadium. Andre Silva scored twice for Sevilla as they completed the double over Espanyol, after winning 3-1 back in November in Seville.
Sevilla FC came out and stunned Espanyol and the capacity crowd, scoring three times in the opening quarter hour to take a 3-nil lead. In the fifth minute, Luis Muriel put a left footed shot into the roof of the goal off of a great feed from Quincy Promes. Just three minutes later, Ever Banega curled one into the top corner off the post to put Sevilla up by two. Then in the 15th minute, Andre Silva had a rebound off of the post sit right in the six yard box for him to tap home and it was 3-nil.
Espanyol would finally settle down, and they actually got two back before the break. Leo Baptistao dribbled into the box, tried to cross the ball, but it got headed back to him, and he calmly rolled it past Tomas Vaclik with his left foot to get Espanyol on the board.
In the 38th minute, Emmanuel Boateng dribbled to the touch line, then passed to Pablo Piatti charging in, and he roofed it to bring Espanyol back to within one. Sevilla FC outshot Espanyol 11-3 in the opening half and dominated play, but held just the slim margin at halftime.
Espanyol had a couple of great chances to equalize in the second half. Emmanuel Boateng got free in the 54th minute, but Tomas Vaclik made an incredible save, deflecting the ball just wide. Just moments later, Pablo Piatti headed the corner just wide of the far post to keep it 3-2.
Sevilla would put this one to bed in the 70th minute. Andre Silva took a pass from Luis Muriel at the top of the box, and drilled it into the top corner to make it 4-2. Wesley would put a cap on this one in the 88th minute to make it 5-2 Sevilla.
The visitors outshot Espanyol 23-8 and the final scored was indicative of how one sided this match was. Sevilla, fighting to avoid relegation, came through with full points to improve to (9-6-13, 33 pts) and move up to 12th position.
Espanyol's loss dropped them to (11-7-10, 40 pts). They remain tied with Celta Vigo for the 7th spot and likely final Europa League berth. They now have just one win in their last five matches. and just two in their last eight. The task at hand does not get any easier as they head across town for the Barcelona Derby on Saturday at Camp Nou against FC Barcelona (17-5-6, 56 pts), who sit in fourth position, the final Champions League spot.
Midweek Results:
Getafe 2:2 Alaves
Matchday 28 Results:
Athletic Bolbao 0:0 Atletico Madrid
SD Eibar 1:1 Real Valladolid
Huesca 1:1 Alaves
Leganes 1:0 Girona
Real Sociedad 2:1 Levante
Real Madrid 3:! Celta Vigo
Valencia CF 1:0 Getafe
Villarreal CF 3:0 Rayo Vallecano
Real Betis 2:2 FC Barcelona
FC BARCELONA 4:0 RCD ESPANYOL Camp Nou (Capacity: 99,354)
Luis Suarez and rival FC Barcelona dominated Espanyol.
SCORING:
42' - (FCB) - S. Busquets
64' - (FCB) - L. Suarez
79' - (FCB) - L. Messi
82' - (FCB) - L. Messi
DISCIPLINE:
37' - (ESP) - C. Alena (Yellow)
51' - (FCB) - S. Busquets (Yellow)
3/23/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - Espanyol played well for about 40 minutes against their arch rival FC Barcelona at Camp Nou. Unfortunately, the match is 90 minutes and FCB pulled away in the second half as they trounced Espanyol 4-nil on a rainy afternoon.
Barcelona would finally unlock the Espanyol defense in the 42nd minute when Luis Suarez sent in a cross that Roberto Rosales tried to head away. Unfortunately for him it went right to the feet of Sergio Busquets, who one-timed it past Edu Frias, who had no chance. Barcelona dominated the opening half, outshooting Espanyol 9-1, but holding the slim 1-nil lead.
RCD Espanyol would get a couple of great chances to equalize. In the 57th minute, Thiago tried to head away a corner, but it went right to Victor Sanchez. But his volley was parried away by Marc-Andre ter Stegan. On the ensuing corner, Victor Sanchez got up, but his header sailed just wide of the far post.
Minutes later, Luis Suarez made them pay, volleying one past a helpless Edu Frias to make it 2-nil. It was his league leading 13th goal on the campaign. Lionel Messi then got involved, cracking a left footed shot from outside the area past Frias in the 79th minute, and then slipping another left footed shot past Frias after a gorgeous give and go from Luis Suarez in the 82nd minute, to make it 4-nil. Messi now has eight goals on the season with three coming against Espanyol.
Lionel Messi earned Man of the Match honors as Barcelona outshot their rivals 19-5. Espanyol had no shots on target. Barcelona's dominance over their rival continues in 2019, winning both matches by a combined 6-nil.
Espanyol (11-7-11, 40 pts) has now slipped to ninth position, tied with Celta Vigo and one point back of Real Sociedad for seventh. Barcelona (18-5-6, 59 pts) remains in fourth, six points back of Real Madrid, who sit atop La Liga after 29 match days.
Espanyol will head home for a big match against Getafe CF (6-11-12, 29 pts) next Wednesday. They start a crucial five match stretch against teams that they are tied with or who sit below them in the table that they need to earn full points from.
Matchday 29 Results:
Sevilla 1:2 Valencia CF
Real Valladolid 0:3 Real Sociedad
Celta Vigo 1:2 Villarreal CF
Getafe 1:1 Leganes
Levante 1:2 SD Eibar
Real Madrid 3:1 SD Huesca
Rayo Vallecano 0:1 Real Betis
Alaves 0:1 Atletico Madrid
Girona 0:2 Athletic Bilbao
Carles Alena's brace helps Espanyol snap out of funk.
SCORING:
34' - (ESP) - P. Piatti
55' - (ESP) - C. Alena
59' - (GET) - Angel
80' - (ESP) - C. Alena
DISCIPLINE:
NONE
4/3/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol has been in a funk for the last two months. On Wednesday evening, they seemed to snap out of it as they defeated Getafe CF 3-1 in front of a sold out crowd at RCDE Stadium. Phenom Carles Alena led the way with two goals as he earned Man of the Match honors as Espanyol won for just the third time in 11 matches.
The visitors had the best chance early on to take the lead as Angel volleyed a ball just wide of the near post in the 17th minute. Emmanuel Boateng then used his speed to split the Getafe CF defense in the 33rd minute, but his shot was blocked just wide by keeper David Soria. On the ensuing corner kick, Pablo Piatti had the rebound, off of an Emmanuel Boateng shot, fall to his feet and he made no mistakes, putting it home to give Espanyol a much needed 1-nil lead.
In the opening moments of the second half, Espanyol's young keeper was tested as he made a great stop on Carlos Soler from in close to keep Espanyol in front. Sergi Darder then setup Carles Alena beautifully just outside the six yard box and he slipped it home to give Espanyol a 2-nil advantge in the 55th minute.
Getafe would get one back minutes later as Carlos Soler sent a long pass towards the Espanyol box. Angel made a great run and one-timed a rocket into the top left corner past a diving Edu Frias to pull Getafe back to within one.
Mario Hermosa had a chance to increase Espanyol's advantage in the 76th minute, as he picked up a rebound just outside the six and missed badly, hitting the side netting from close range. But minutes later it was Carles Alena again. This time Emmanuel Boateng made a beautiful pass in open space to spring Alena in and his left footed shot deflected in off the keeper and the underside of the bar to make it 3-1.
Alena was named Man of the Match with his two goals, but Emmanuel Boateng was just as good, picking up two assists in the win. Getafe (6-11-14, 29 pts) ended up outshooting Espanyol 12-10, but most of their eight targeted shots were easily handled by Frias.
Espanyol (12-7-11, 43 pts) remains in ninth position, tied with Celta Vigo for 8th, and trailing seventh place Real Sociedad by a single point as all three teams won on Wednesday evening. Espanyol will travel to Girona FC (9-10-11, 37 pts) on Sunday afternoon in another match where three points is necessary with only eight match days left in the 2018-19 campaign.
Matchday 30 Results:
Athletic Bilbao 3:0 Levante
Atletico Madrid 2:0 Girona
SD Eibar 1:1 Rayo Vallecano
Leganes 2:1 Real Valladolid
Sevilla 1:1 Alaves
Villarreal CF 0:1 FC Barcelona
Real Sociedad 2:0 Real Betis
Huesca 0:1 Celta Vigo
Valencia CF 1:2 Real Madrid
A look at La Liga 1|2|3 through 33 match days had RC Deportivo and Malaga CF holding the top two spots at 80 and 76 points. UD Las Palmas sits comfortably in third with 75 points. The other three playoff spots are held by Granada CF (61 pts), CA Osasuna (60 pts) and Real Sporting (56 pts). CD Lugo and Real Oviedo are still within shouting distance with just nine matches remaining.
GIRONA FC 1:3 RCD ESPANYOL Estadio de Montilivi (Capacity: 13,450)
Pablo Piatti scored twice as Espanyol picked up a big three points.
SCORING:
24' - (ESP) - P. Piatti
48' - (ESP) - P. Piatti
82' - (ESP) - S. Darder
90'+ - (GIR) - A. Granell
DISCIPLINE:
7' - (GIR) - J. Ramalho (Red)
45' - (GIR) - V. Fischer (Yellow)
66' - (GIR) - B. Garcia (Yellow)
72' - (ESP) - L. Lopez (Yellow)
4/7/19
Girona, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol put together a solid 90 minutes of football on Sunday afternoon and they came away with a 3-1 victory over new regional rival Girona. Pablo Piatti scored twice to help pace Espanyol to their second straight win as the campaign winds down and every point is critical.
Carlos Alena had a great chance to put Espanyol in front in the opening minutes as he split the Girona defense, but he got tripped from behind in the box by Jonas Ramalho resulting in a red card as well as a penalty (a complete surprise in FIFA 19). Carles Alena stepped up and struck it low and left but Yassine Bounou guessed correctly and got a hand on it to knock it wide and keep the match scoreless.
It would remain that way until the 24th minute as Estaban Granero dribbled down the left side of the box, he passed it across teh front of the goal, where an unmarked Pablo Piatti tapped it in to put Espanyol up 1-nil.
Emmanuel Boateng had a chance to increase that lead in the 28th minute but he drilled a right footed kick off of the top of the crossbar. Newly promoted 17-year-old Mario Diaz would score in the 35th minute on a nifty pass from Sergi Darder, but the play was called offside. Diaz would bend a beautiful free kick into the box in the 45th minute, that Carles Alena got on the end of, but he headed the ball just wide of the far post.
Espanyol would extend their lead to 2-nil in the 48th minute as Roberto Rosales sent a perfect cross that Pablo Piatti volleyed past a helpless Yassine Bounou. They would make it 3-nil in the 82nd minute when Mario DIaz rolled a ball into the box that charging Sergi Darder buried.
Girona would get a late marker by Alex Granell but it was too little, too late.
Espanyol (13-7-11, 46pts) won their second straight game and swept Girona, winning 2-1 at home back in November. Girona (9-10-12, 37 pts) remains in 11th place and is staring a mid-table finish in their second season in La Liga.
Up next for Espanyol is a home match against Deportivo Alaves (8-11-12, 35 pts) next Sunday afternoon. Espanyol trails seventh place Real Sociedad by a point, and are five points back of Villarreal.
Matchday 31 Results:
Getafe 0:1 Athletic Bilbao
Real Valladolid 1:0 Sevilla
Levante 1:1 Huesca
Real Madrid 3:0 SD Eibar
FC Barcelona 2:2 Atletico Madrid
Rayo Vallecano 1:1 Valencia CF
Celta Vigo 0:1 Real Sociedad
Real Betis 2:1 Villarreal CF
Alaves 1:1 CD Leganes
Results are taking Espanyol far from European spots with a few matches to go. However, the 7th position should be open to UEL spots, if the Copa finalists are in the top-6. In that case, if the team find consistency, Europe isn't an unlikely option at this point.
Estaban Granero put home a penalty in the 39th minute.
SCORING:
17' - (ALA) - J. Guidetti
31' - (ESP) - E. Boateng
39' - (ESP) - E. Granero (P)
45' - (ALA) - V. Laguardia
DISCIPLINE:
49' - (ALA) - R. Sabrino (Yellow)
4/14/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - Espnayol had to settle for a 2-2 draw on Sunday evening with a pesky Deportivo Alaves at RCDE Stadium. Sergi Darder earned Man of the Match honors, but the big story was Espanyol dropping points to a team located down the table.
Deportivo Alaves would stun Espanyol early on when John Guidetti elevated up above both Leo Baptistao and Lluis Lopez and headed home a corner kick in the 17th minute to put the visitors up 1-nil.
The next quarter hour was tense at RCDE Stadium as the crowd was quiet and uneasy, but that changed in the 31st minute. Sergi Darder got the ball at the top of the box, turned and fed a perfect pass to Emmanuel Boateng. Boateng one timed it past a helpless Fernando Pacheco to level the match.
Minutes later Leo Baptistao was taken down in the box by Ruben Duarte. Estaban Granero stepped up and calmly hit the lower left corner and Espanyol had the lead 2-1. But Deportivo Alaves had an answer just before halftime. A corner was sent in and cleared by Lluis Lopez, but it went straight to Ibai Gomez. He dribbled once and crossed it to Victor Laguardia, who headed it home to level the match and quiet the crowd as the teams went to halftime tied at 2-2.
The second half featured a lot of midfield play and few chances. Espanyol had the two best chances in the second half. Estaban Granero had a great chance in the 69th minute, but Fernando Pacheco got a hand on his shot to knock it over the bar. Emmanuel Boateng split the Alaves defense in the 84th minute, but his shot sailed just wide of the far post.
Espanyol (13-8-11, 47 pts) was outshot 12-9, but did hold a 6-2 advantage in the second half. Deportivo Alaves (8-12-12, 36 pts) sits mired in 13th place and is looking at a mid-table finish.
Espanyol sits in seventh place and will hit the road next Sunday as they travel to Valencia to take on Levante UD (7-8-17, 29 pts) sitting in the relegation zone in 18th place.
Matchday 32 Results:
Huesca 0:2 FC Barcelona
Atletico Madrid 4:0 Celta Vigo
Leganes 0:1 Real Madrid
Real Sociedad 1:2 SD Eibar
Valencia CF 3:1 Levante
Athletic Bilbao 0:2 Rayo Vallecano
Sevilla 0:2 Real Betis
Girona 1:1 Villarreal CF
Real Valladolid 2:1 Getafe
Quarterfinal Results:
PSG 2:3 (3:5) Manchester City
Roma 1:1 (2:4) FC Barcelona
FC Bayern Munchen 1:1 (2:2) Juventus (Juventus advances 5-4 on penalties)
Liverpool 2:1 (3:1) AS Monaco
LEVANTE UD 0:5 RCD ESPANYOL Cuitat de Valencia (Capacity: 26,354)
Pablo Piatti celebrates his sixth goal in his last seven appearances.
SCORING:
27' - (ESP) - S. Darder
34' - (ESP) - P. Piatti
42' - (ESP) - E. Granero
62' - (ESP) - O. Melendo
83' - (ESP) - S. Maguire
DISCIPLINE:
78' - (ESP) - S. Darder (Yellow)
4/21/19
Valencia, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol played their best match of the season on Sunday afternoon as they absolutely blasted Levante UD 5-nil. This was domination from the start with five different players finding the score sheet as Espanyol extended their unbeaten streak to a season high four matches with three of those being wins.
Espanyol would get on the board in the 27th minute when Sergi Darder came in unmarked and blasted it into the top right corner. Darder would make a nice pass to Estaban Granero who found Pablo Piatti in the 34th minute. PIatti dribbled left past two defenders and roofed one to make it 2-nil.
Levante UD keeper Oier Olazabal made a huge save on Leo Baptistao in the 40th minute to keep the game within reach. Minutes later, it was Estaban Granero taking a pass from Sergi Darder and scoring to make it 3-nil as the teams went to the break.
Oscar Melendo hit a cracker from about 21 yards out into the top left corner in the 62nd minute to put Espanyol up by four. Substitute Sean Maguire would cap of the scoring in the 83rd minute as Pablo Piatti dribbled into the box and found Sean Maguire just inside the six yard box. He dribbled around Olazabal and scored to make it 5-nil.
The win moved Espanyol (14-8-11, 50 pts) into seventh place all alone and just five points back of both Valencia CF and Villarreal CF with five match days remaining in the 2018-19 campaign. Levante UD fell to (7-8-18, 29 pts) and sits 19th place as they scramble to avoid relegation. They did win the reverse fixture at RCDE Stadium back in September by a score of 3-nil.
Up next is a midweek matchup with Celta Vigo (12-8-13, 44 pts) who have been sliding down the table as of late, after challenging for a European spot for much of the campaign.
Matchday 33 Results:
Alaves 1:1 Real Valladolid
Real Madrid 2:1 Athletic Bilbao
SD Eibar 1:0 Atletico Madrid
FC Barcelona 3:1 Real Sociedad
Celta Vigo 2:2 Girona
Getafe 1:0 Sevilla
Villarreal CF 3:1 Leganes
Real Betis 2:1 Valencia CF
Rayo Vallecano 0:1 Huesca
RCD ESPANYOL 1:0 CELTA VIGO RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)
Carles Alena was sent off in the 35th minute.
SCORING:
5' - (ESP) - E. Boateng
DISCIPLINE:
18' - (CEL) - I. Aspas (Yellow)
29' - (ESP ) - C. Alena (Yellow)
31' - (ESP) - E. Boateng (Red)
35' - (ESP) - C. Alena (Yellow/Red)
82' - (CEL) - M. Gomez (Yellow)
90' - (CEL) - O. Yokuslu (Yellow)
4/25/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - Espanyol picked up a huge three points on Thursday evening as they defeated Celta Vigo 1-nil at RCDE Stadium, despite playing the final 65 minutes down two men.
Emmanuel Boateng scored just five minutes in as he took a pass from Sergi Darder, split the defense and placed the ball into the lower left corner. Boateng would then get sent off in the 31st minute for a late tackle. Just four minutes later, Carles Alena picked up a second yellow and subsequent red card for a tackle just outside the Espanyol box.
Espanyol would then go into a full defensive shell for the final hour. But even down two men, then did not allow many good opportunities for Celta to score. They would get outshot 13-4, including 9-0 after Alena's red card.
Sergi Darder would earn Man of the Match honors, recording an assist on Boateng's goal.
Espanyol (15-8-11, 53 pts) moved to within two points of Valencia CF for six position in La Liga, and just three back of Villarreal CF. They have now gone five games unbeaten with four wins. They have a tall order ahead on Sunday as they travel to Seville to take on third place Real Betis (22-5-7, 71 pts). Real Betis won the reverse fixture 3-2 back on December 16th at RCDE Stadium.
Matchday 34 Results:
Sevilla 2:1 Rayo Vallecano
Real Valladolid 1:1 Girona
Huesca 1:3 SD Eibar
Getafe 2:2 Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid 2:1 Valencia CF
Levante 1:1 Real Betis
Alaves 1:1 FC Barcelona
Leganes 0:1 Athletic Bilbao
Real Sociedad 1:1 Villarreal CF
4/28/19
Seville, ESP (AP) - Espanyol traveled to Estadio Benito Villamarin on Sunday afternoon and came away with a huge point as they drew 1-1 with Real Betis. Betis got a second half equalizer from Joaquin to secure a spot in the 2019-20 Champions League, their first since 2005-06.
Espanyol would grab the lead just 14 minutes in as Sergi Darder dropped a pass to Oscar Melendo running into the box. He dribbled once and struck a right footed shot into the lower left corner to put the visitors up 1-nil. Espanyol would dominate the opening half. Melendo missed a golden opportunity to put them up 2-nil in the 20th minute as he took a pass from Leo Baptistao at the penalty spot and struck it just wide of the left post.
Bonja Iglesius was stopped at point blank range by Pau Lopez in the 23rd minute. Iglesius got the start with the suspension of Boateng. Pable Piatti then missed in the 45th minute, sending a ball just off the cross bar on a shot from just outside the penalty area. Sergi Darder then struck a left footed shot across the goal mouth and just off the right post as time was expiring in the opening half. Espanyol would outshoot Real Betis 7-2 in the opening 45 minutes.
Bonja Iglesius had another incredible chance in the 50th minute as he got in on Lopez, but the Betis keeper stopped him to keep it a one goal match.
William Carvalho almost tied it in the 55th minute and he got free in the box and sent a right footed shot just wide of the post. Betis would finally capitalize in the 69th minute off of an Espanyol turnover. Damia lost the ball in the midfield, and Lo Celso sent a perfect through ball that Joaquin ran onto. He one-timed it left past a helpless Edu Frias to level the match.
Pau Lopez would make two unbelievable saves in the 85th minute. The first was on Leo Baptistao from the top of the six, then he stopped the rebound that went to Damia to keep the match level. William Cavalho had a chance to help Real Betis get all three points in the dying moments as he got free in the Espanyol box, but his chip shot sailed high and wide and both teams had to settle for the draw.
Espanyol (15-9-11, 54 pts) remains in seventh position but lost ground to Valencia CF and now trail them by four points with three matches remaining. They are five points clear of Real Sociedad though for what is likely a Europa League spot.
Up next is a return home to face second place Atletico Madrid (23-7-5, 76 pts) who trail Real Madrid by five points. Espanyol will then travel to Leganes before closing at home against Real Sociedad.
Notes: Big injury news coming out of the match was the loss of Oscar Melendo for up to two months with a broken toe. He is tied for the team lead with eight goals. Manager Raul Tamudo said that the club will likely make a call up from the youth squad to replace Melendo.
Matchday 35 Results:
Atletico Madrid 4:1 Real Valladolid
FC Barcelona 4:1 Levante UD
Girona 1:2 Sevilla
Valencia CF 2:0 SD Eibar
Rayo Vallecano 1:2 Real Madrid
Athletic Bilbao 2:1 Alaves
Leganes 1:0 Celta Vigo
Real Sociedad 1:1 Getafe
Rated E For Everyone.
Comments
RCD ESPANYOL 2:0 RAYO VALLECANO
RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)
Emmanuel Boateng scores off of a scramble in front.
SCORING:
5' - (ESP) - E. Boateng
54' - (ESP) - E. Granero
DISCIPLINE:
19' - (ESP) - P. Piatti (Yellow)
76' - (ESP) - M. Hermosa (Yellow)
2/9/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - Espanyol posted their second straight clean sheet on Saturday as they blanked Rayo Vallecano 2-nil at RCDE Stadium. Edu Frias, named the starter after the team dealt veteran Diego Lopez, has not allowed a goal since the move cementing his spot on the first-team sheet.
Espanyol got off to a quick start as Emmanuel Boateng scored after a wild scramble in the box in the fifth minute. They would get a couple more chances late in the opening half as Sergi Darder struck one over the cross bar in the 39th minute, and Leo Baptistao was stopped by Vallecano keeper Alberto in the 43rd minute.
Espanyol would extend their lead in the 54th minute. Carles Alena passed to Estaban Granero at the top of the box, he dribbled past a screen set by Pablo Piatti and left footed one into the top of the net. Sergi Darder sent Emmanuel Boateng in all alone with a beautiful through ball in the 87th minute, but Alberto was able to get a hand on Boateng's shot, sending it over the bar.
Carles Alena picked up Man of the Match honors for the fifth time this season.
Up next for Espanyol (10-5-8, 35 pts) is a trip to Valencia next Sunday afternoon as they will face Valencia CF (9-6-8, 33 pts).
Matchday 23 Results:
Atletico Madrid 0:3 Real Madrid
Alaves 0:1 Levante
Valencia CF 0:3 Real Sociedad
Athletic Bilbao 0:0 Barcelona
Leganes 1:2 Real Betis
Getafe 1:2 Celta Vigo
Sevilla 1:2 SD Eibar
Girona 1:1 Huesca
Real Valladolid 1:1 Villarreal CF
VALENCIA CF 3:2 RCD ESPANYOL
Estadi de Mestalla (Capacity: 55,000)
Edu Frias and Espanyol looking dejected after losing in the closing moments.
SCORING:
25' - (ESP) - S. Darder
57' - (VAL) - G. Guedes
78' - (VAL) - D. Wass
85' - (ESP) - M. Roca
90' - (VAL) - K. Gameiro
DISCIPLINE:
29' - (ESP) - L. Lopez (Red)
34' - (ESP) - E. Granero (Yellow)
57' - (ESP) - L. Baptistao (Yellow)
75' - (ESP) - C. Alena (Yellow)
2/17/19
Valencia, ESP (AP) - Espanyol took an early lead, then went a man down and could not hold off the host Valencia CF on Sunday afternoon as they dropped a 3-2 decision at the Mestalla. Kevin Grameiro ran onto a long pass from Cristiano Piccini on a Valencia counter attack in the closing moments and blasted it past a helpless Edu Frias to give Valencia the well deserved 3-2 victory.
Espanyol grabbed the lead in the 25th minute. Pablo Piatti sent a cross into the box, that got cleared, but right to Estaban Granero. He sent a beautiful through ball to Sergi Darder right at the six yard box and he one timed it through the legs of Norberto Neto to give Espanyol the lead.
Just minutes later, a pivotal moment occurred as defender LLuis Lopez tackled Michy Batshuayi from behind at the top of the Espanyol box, and he was sent off. Valencia's Rodrigo would have a great chance to tie in the 40th minute, but his header grazed just over the bar.
Sergi Darder should have made it 2-nil just before halftime, but his crack from just inside the box hit the post and stayed out.
Valencia would finally unlock Espanyol after halftime. Rodrigo sent a perfect through ball that Goncalo Guedes ran onto and one-timed a left footed shot past Edu Frias to level the match. It was the first goal allowed by Espanyol in 292 minutes.
Playing down a man, Espanyol was packing it in defensively, but Valencia would find room again in the 78th minute. Daniel Wass dribbled through the midfield, made a nice move on Carles Alena to create space, then sent a cracker in off the bottom of the bar to put Valencia ahead 2-1.
Marc Roca would tie it just seven minutes later off of a great pass from defender Oscar Duarte. It appeared as though the match would end in a draw after Oscar Melndo sent a shot over the bar in injury time. But after another Espanyol attack, a turnover led to the deadly Valencia counter that Kevin Gramiero scored the match winner on.
Valencia CF (10-6-8, 36 pts) moved into seventh position, just ahead of Espanyol with the victory. They outshot Espanyol 16-6 and held a slight possession advantage 54-45%. Valencia won both match ups with Espanyol this season, winning earlier at RCDE Stadium 2-nil back in August.
Espanyol (10-5-9, 35 pts) heads home to take on SD Huesca (5-4-15, 19 pts), who currently sit in the 19th position, on Saturday.
Midweek:
Girona 1:1 Alaves
Legante 2:2 Huesca
Rayo Vallecano 0:0 Celta Vigo
Matchday 24 Results:
Barcelona 3:0 Real Valladolid
Celta Vigo 2:1 Levante
SD Eibar 0:2 Getafe
Real Madrid 2:0 Girona
Huesca 0:1 Athletic Bilbao
Rayo Vallecano 1:1 Atletico Madrid
Real Sociedad 4:0 Leganes
Real Betis 2:1 Alaves
Villarreal 1:1 Sevilla
Round of 32 Results:
Girondins de Bordeaux 0:2 (2:2) Fenerbahce (Fenerbahce advances 4-3 on penalties)
Chelsea 4:0 (5:1) Moreirense FC
FC Porto 1:0 (2:2) Celtic (FC Porto advances on away goals)
Stade Rennaise 0:0 (1:1) AC Milan (Stade Rennais advances on away goals)
Sporting CP 2:1 (4:2) BSC Young Boys
Besiktas 1:0 (1:0) CSKA Moscow
Sevilla FC 2:2 (3:3) Dortmund (Dortmund advances on away goals)
Leverkusen 2:1 (3:2) SL Benfica
RB Leipzig 1:1 (2:3) Lazio
Villarreal CF 2:2 (4:4) Arsenal (Villarreal CF advances 5-4 on penalties)
Napoli 5:0 (5:2) SK Rapid Wien
Olympique Marsaille 1:0 (3:2) Slavia Praha
Spurs 1:2 (2:3) KRC Genk
Atalanta 3:0 (3:0) Akhisarspor
Olympiacis CFP 1:1 (3:2) Huddersfield Town
Olympique Lyon 1:0 (3:0) PAOK
RCD ESPANYOL 1:1 SD HUESCA
RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)
Juan Camilo Hernandez cannot believe that he missed a chance late.
SCORING:
9' - (HUE) - S. Gurler
41' - (ESP) - L. Baptistao
DISCIPLINE:
20' - (ESP) - L. Baptistao (Yellow)
81' - (HUE) - C. Akapo (Yellow)
2/23/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol managed a 1-1 draw against lowly SD Huesca on Saturday evening at RCDE Stadium. Those two dropped points could loom large as Espanyol fights for a European spot with the season winding down. Leo Baptistao's goal in the 41st minute helped Espanyol salvage what would have been an embarassing loss to a team that sits squarely in the relegation zone.
Huesca came out and pressed Espanyol just like they did in their earlier meeting and it worked again. Samuele Longo headed one just over the bar off of a corner kick in the 7th minute for a great scoring opportunity. Just two minutes later it was Serdar Gurler who would put Huesca in front as he one-timed a perfect through ball from Juan Aguilera past Edu Frias.
In the 13th minute Estaban Granero had a glorious opportunity to level the match as he had space at the top of the box, but he leaned back just a touch and his shot sailed over the bar. Samuele Longo nearly put the visitors up by two in the 21st minute, but he volleyed one just wide of the left post.
Carles Alena sent a long ball into Emmanuel Boateng in the 31st minute. Boateng split the defense and got in all alone on Axel Werner, but the Huesca keeper came up with a huge save to keep the score 1-nil. Finally, in the 41st minute, Pablo Piatti would send a nice ball into Boateng in the box. He drew a defender and the keeper to the left and he passed to a wide open Leo Baptistao, who tapped it in to level the match.
Espanyol fans and players were going nuts in the 77th minute when Sean Maguire was tackled in the box, but the referee felt it was not a foul. Moments later on the counter attack Juan Camilo Hernandez hit one just wide of the Espanyol goal. Hernandez would volley a header over the bar just minutes later as Huesca applied the pressure.
Sean Maguire would get another opportunity in the 88th minute as he took a slick pass from Carles Alena, and got in alone on Werner, but the Huesca keeper came up big again with the stop to keep the match tied at 1-1. Oscar Duarte would save the match for Espayol in the dying moments as he cleared a ball off of the line that had gotten past Frias to preserve the point.
Espayol (10-6-9, 36 pts) would outshoot SD Huesca (5-5-15, 20 pts) by a 12-8 margin, and really held a big advantage in corners at 9-1, but could not find a winner. Espanyol will host Real Valladolid (6-8-11, 26 pts) next Sunday.
Midweek:
Levante 1:2 Getafe
Girona 1:1 FC Barcelona
Matchday 25 Results:
Alaves 0:1 Celta Vigo
Athletic Bilbao 1:0 SD Eibar
Levante 0:2 Real Madrid
Getafe 1:1 Rayo Vallecano
Girona 0:1 Real Sociedad
Sevilla 0:3 FC Barcelona
Atletico Madrid 3:1 Villarreal CF
Real Valladolid 0:1 Real Betis
Round of 16 Draw:
Fenerbahce vs. Napoli
Besiktas vs. Stade Rennais
Atalanta vs. Leverkusen
Sporting CP vs. FC Porto
Olympiacos CFP vs. KRC Genk
Dortmund vs. Olympique Marsaille
Villarreal CF vs. Lazio
Olympique Lyon vs. Chelsea
SEMIFINAL Results:
Valencia CF 2:0 (5:2) Getafe CF
FC Barcelona 2:0 (4:0) Real Madrid
RCD ESPANYOL 1:0 REAL VALLADOLID
RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)
Sean Maguire scores the only goal of the match in the 17th minute.
SCORING:
17' - (ESP) - S. Maguire
DISCIPLINE:
52' - (ESP) - E. Granero (Yellow)
90' - (ESP) - O. Melendo (Yellow)
3/3/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - It wasn't pretty, but Espanyol earned full points on Sunday afternoon as they held off a feisty Real Valladolid 1-nil at RCDE Stadium. Sean Maguire, the man of the match, scored the lone goal as he put in his own rebound in the 17th minute to provide all of the scoring.
Real Valladolid played the same attacking, smothering style that they have played all season and it frustrated Espanyol the entire match. It was tough to pass and keep possession, something that Espanyol usually dominates in matches.
Neither team had many chances after Maguire's goal in the 17th minute. Valledolid's best opportunity came in the 39th minute when Enes Unal hit the far post.
The second half was more of the same, plenty of scattered play in the midfield with neither team holding possession for very long. Pablo Piatti sent a nice pass into Sean Maguire that he knocked over the bar in the 59th minute.
Real Valladolid (6-8-12, 26 pts) had a chance to equalize late after a foul against Espanyol. Enes Unal sent in the long free kick that Kiko Olivas headed off of the woodwork.
The win capped a double for Espanyol (11-6-9, 39 pts) over Real Valladolid. They won in Valladolid back on October 27th by a similar 1-nil score.
Sean Maguire was your Man of the Match with seven shots, three on target, and the lone goal.
Up next is a trip to Bilbao to take on Athletic Club (7-7-12, 28 pts) who currently sit in 13th place in La Liga.
Matchday 26 Results:
Real Betis 2:1 Getafe
Valencia CF 1:0 Athletic Bilbao
Real Sociedad 1:2 Atletico Madrid
Leganes 1:2 Levante
Real Madrid 2:1 FC Barcelona
Villarreal CF 2:1 Alaves
Huesca 2:! Sevilla
SD Eibar 1:1 Celta Vigo
Rayo Vallecano 0:0 Girona
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol and the La Liga Player of the Month are becoming synonymous. For the third time this season, an RCD Espanyol won the award as Sergi Darder won the honor for the month of February.
Espanyol went (2-2-1) in the month with Darder garnering Man of the Match honors in a 1-1 draw with SD Huesca. He scored a goal and added an assist in the month.
ATHLETIC BILBAO 2:2 RCD ESPANYOL
Estadio San Mames (Capacity: 53,289)
Raul Garcia celebrates for Athletic Bilbao.
SCORING:
3' - (ESP) - C. Alena
18' - (ESP) - P. Piatti
51' - (BIL) - A. Aduriz
69' - (BIL) - R. Garcia
DISCIPLINE:
59' - (ESP) - Pipa (Yellow)
74' - (BIL) - A. Aduriz (Yellow)
3/9/19
Bilbao, ESP (AP) - Espanyol blew a two goal lead and had to settle for a draw as Athletic Bilbao rallied to find a point at Estadio San Mames. The home side scored twice off of set pieces after halftime to earn the draw.
Espanyol got things going early in this one as Estaban Granero set up Carles Alena perfectly in the third minute and Alena slid the ball into the back of the net to put Espanyol up 1-nil.
Just a quarter of an hour later, Granero once again was the setup man and he found Pablo Piatti, who had lost his defender. Piatti left footed one into the roof of the net and it was 2-nil just 18 minutes in.
Espanyol would take that 2-nil lead into the halftime break and it looked like they were heading towards getting the three points that they needed. But Bilbao had other ideas.
In the 51st minute, Athletic Club had a corner kick that was taken by Markel Susaeta. He sent in a ball to the near post that Aritz Aduriz headed past Edu Frias to get the home side on the board. They would get another chance in the 69th minute with another corner taken by Susaeta. This one was sent to the far post where Raul Garcia got above the Espanyol defense and headed it past both Frias and Sergi Darder to level the match.
Espanyol would get a golden opportunity to retake the lead just minutes later as Marc Rosa sent a beautiful pass to Sean Maguire. He split the Bilbao defense and was in alone, but his shot was somehow kept out by keeper Iago Herrerin to preserve the tie.
Atletic Bilbao (7-8-12, 29 pts) moved two points clear of the relegation zone with the draw. They would outshoot Espanyol 9-8 on the match.
Estaban Granero earned Man of the Match honors with his two assists. Espanyol (11-7-9, 40 pts) remains tied for 7th position with Celta Vigo. That position is currently a Europa League spot as Valencia and FC Barcelona are playing for the Copa de Espana and an automatic Europa League berth, and both sit inside the top six.
Up next for Espanyol is a return home to take on Sevilla FC (8-6-13, 30 pts). A squad also in a fight for it's life from relegation.
Midweek:
Leganes 0:2 Valencia CF
Matchday 27 Results:
Getafe 1:1 Huesca
Atletico Madrid 2:1 Leganes
FC Barcelona 1:0 Rayo Vallecano
Alaves 2:1 SD Eibar
Girona 1:3 Valencia CF
Levante 1:1 Villarreal CF
Celta Vigo 0:1 Real Betis
Real Valladolid 1:1 Real Madrid
Sevilla 1:1 Real Sociedad
RCD ESPANYOL 2:5 SEVILLA FC
RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)
Sean Maguire scores the only goal of the match in the 17th minute.
SCORING:
5' - (SEV) - L. Muriel
8' - (SEV) - E. Banega
15' - (SEV) - A. Silva
28' - (ESP) - L. Baptistao
38' - (ESP) - P. Piatti
70' - (SEV) - A. Silva
88' - (SEV) - Wesley
DISCIPLINE:
33' - (ESP) - L. Lopez (Yellow)
45' - (ESP) - E. Boateng (Yellow)
90' - (ESP) - L. Lopez (Yellow/Red)
3/17/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - Espnayol suffered an embarrassing home loss on Sunday afternoon, falling 5-2 to Sevilla FC at RCDE Stadium. Andre Silva scored twice for Sevilla as they completed the double over Espanyol, after winning 3-1 back in November in Seville.
Sevilla FC came out and stunned Espanyol and the capacity crowd, scoring three times in the opening quarter hour to take a 3-nil lead. In the fifth minute, Luis Muriel put a left footed shot into the roof of the goal off of a great feed from Quincy Promes. Just three minutes later, Ever Banega curled one into the top corner off the post to put Sevilla up by two. Then in the 15th minute, Andre Silva had a rebound off of the post sit right in the six yard box for him to tap home and it was 3-nil.
Espanyol would finally settle down, and they actually got two back before the break. Leo Baptistao dribbled into the box, tried to cross the ball, but it got headed back to him, and he calmly rolled it past Tomas Vaclik with his left foot to get Espanyol on the board.
In the 38th minute, Emmanuel Boateng dribbled to the touch line, then passed to Pablo Piatti charging in, and he roofed it to bring Espanyol back to within one. Sevilla FC outshot Espanyol 11-3 in the opening half and dominated play, but held just the slim margin at halftime.
Espanyol had a couple of great chances to equalize in the second half. Emmanuel Boateng got free in the 54th minute, but Tomas Vaclik made an incredible save, deflecting the ball just wide. Just moments later, Pablo Piatti headed the corner just wide of the far post to keep it 3-2.
Sevilla would put this one to bed in the 70th minute. Andre Silva took a pass from Luis Muriel at the top of the box, and drilled it into the top corner to make it 4-2. Wesley would put a cap on this one in the 88th minute to make it 5-2 Sevilla.
The visitors outshot Espanyol 23-8 and the final scored was indicative of how one sided this match was. Sevilla, fighting to avoid relegation, came through with full points to improve to (9-6-13, 33 pts) and move up to 12th position.
Espanyol's loss dropped them to (11-7-10, 40 pts). They remain tied with Celta Vigo for the 7th spot and likely final Europa League berth. They now have just one win in their last five matches. and just two in their last eight. The task at hand does not get any easier as they head across town for the Barcelona Derby on Saturday at Camp Nou against FC Barcelona (17-5-6, 56 pts), who sit in fourth position, the final Champions League spot.
Midweek Results:
Getafe 2:2 Alaves
Matchday 28 Results:
Athletic Bolbao 0:0 Atletico Madrid
SD Eibar 1:1 Real Valladolid
Huesca 1:1 Alaves
Leganes 1:0 Girona
Real Sociedad 2:1 Levante
Real Madrid 3:! Celta Vigo
Valencia CF 1:0 Getafe
Villarreal CF 3:0 Rayo Vallecano
Real Betis 2:2 FC Barcelona
Quarterfinal Draw:
Villarreal CF vs. Chelsea
Leverkusen vs. Dortmund
Sporting CP vs. Napoli
Besiktas vs. Olympiakos CFP
Quarterfinal Draw:
Manchester City vs. PSG
FC Barcelona vs. Roma
Juventus vs. FC Bayern Munchen
AS Monaco vs. Liverpool
We are struggling and it doesn't look to get any easier....
FC BARCELONA 4:0 RCD ESPANYOL
Camp Nou (Capacity: 99,354)
Luis Suarez and rival FC Barcelona dominated Espanyol.
SCORING:
42' - (FCB) - S. Busquets
64' - (FCB) - L. Suarez
79' - (FCB) - L. Messi
82' - (FCB) - L. Messi
DISCIPLINE:
37' - (ESP) - C. Alena (Yellow)
51' - (FCB) - S. Busquets (Yellow)
3/23/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - Espanyol played well for about 40 minutes against their arch rival FC Barcelona at Camp Nou. Unfortunately, the match is 90 minutes and FCB pulled away in the second half as they trounced Espanyol 4-nil on a rainy afternoon.
Barcelona would finally unlock the Espanyol defense in the 42nd minute when Luis Suarez sent in a cross that Roberto Rosales tried to head away. Unfortunately for him it went right to the feet of Sergio Busquets, who one-timed it past Edu Frias, who had no chance. Barcelona dominated the opening half, outshooting Espanyol 9-1, but holding the slim 1-nil lead.
RCD Espanyol would get a couple of great chances to equalize. In the 57th minute, Thiago tried to head away a corner, but it went right to Victor Sanchez. But his volley was parried away by Marc-Andre ter Stegan. On the ensuing corner, Victor Sanchez got up, but his header sailed just wide of the far post.
Minutes later, Luis Suarez made them pay, volleying one past a helpless Edu Frias to make it 2-nil. It was his league leading 13th goal on the campaign. Lionel Messi then got involved, cracking a left footed shot from outside the area past Frias in the 79th minute, and then slipping another left footed shot past Frias after a gorgeous give and go from Luis Suarez in the 82nd minute, to make it 4-nil. Messi now has eight goals on the season with three coming against Espanyol.
Lionel Messi earned Man of the Match honors as Barcelona outshot their rivals 19-5. Espanyol had no shots on target. Barcelona's dominance over their rival continues in 2019, winning both matches by a combined 6-nil.
Espanyol (11-7-11, 40 pts) has now slipped to ninth position, tied with Celta Vigo and one point back of Real Sociedad for seventh. Barcelona (18-5-6, 59 pts) remains in fourth, six points back of Real Madrid, who sit atop La Liga after 29 match days.
Espanyol will head home for a big match against Getafe CF (6-11-12, 29 pts) next Wednesday. They start a crucial five match stretch against teams that they are tied with or who sit below them in the table that they need to earn full points from.
Matchday 29 Results:
Sevilla 1:2 Valencia CF
Real Valladolid 0:3 Real Sociedad
Celta Vigo 1:2 Villarreal CF
Getafe 1:1 Leganes
Levante 1:2 SD Eibar
Real Madrid 3:1 SD Huesca
Rayo Vallecano 0:1 Real Betis
Alaves 0:1 Atletico Madrid
Girona 0:2 Athletic Bilbao
RCD ESPANYOL 3:1 GETAFE CF
RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)
Carles Alena's brace helps Espanyol snap out of funk.
SCORING:
34' - (ESP) - P. Piatti
55' - (ESP) - C. Alena
59' - (GET) - Angel
80' - (ESP) - C. Alena
DISCIPLINE:
NONE
4/3/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol has been in a funk for the last two months. On Wednesday evening, they seemed to snap out of it as they defeated Getafe CF 3-1 in front of a sold out crowd at RCDE Stadium. Phenom Carles Alena led the way with two goals as he earned Man of the Match honors as Espanyol won for just the third time in 11 matches.
The visitors had the best chance early on to take the lead as Angel volleyed a ball just wide of the near post in the 17th minute. Emmanuel Boateng then used his speed to split the Getafe CF defense in the 33rd minute, but his shot was blocked just wide by keeper David Soria. On the ensuing corner kick, Pablo Piatti had the rebound, off of an Emmanuel Boateng shot, fall to his feet and he made no mistakes, putting it home to give Espanyol a much needed 1-nil lead.
In the opening moments of the second half, Espanyol's young keeper was tested as he made a great stop on Carlos Soler from in close to keep Espanyol in front. Sergi Darder then setup Carles Alena beautifully just outside the six yard box and he slipped it home to give Espanyol a 2-nil advantge in the 55th minute.
Getafe would get one back minutes later as Carlos Soler sent a long pass towards the Espanyol box. Angel made a great run and one-timed a rocket into the top left corner past a diving Edu Frias to pull Getafe back to within one.
Mario Hermosa had a chance to increase Espanyol's advantage in the 76th minute, as he picked up a rebound just outside the six and missed badly, hitting the side netting from close range. But minutes later it was Carles Alena again. This time Emmanuel Boateng made a beautiful pass in open space to spring Alena in and his left footed shot deflected in off the keeper and the underside of the bar to make it 3-1.
Alena was named Man of the Match with his two goals, but Emmanuel Boateng was just as good, picking up two assists in the win. Getafe (6-11-14, 29 pts) ended up outshooting Espanyol 12-10, but most of their eight targeted shots were easily handled by Frias.
Espanyol (12-7-11, 43 pts) remains in ninth position, tied with Celta Vigo for 8th, and trailing seventh place Real Sociedad by a single point as all three teams won on Wednesday evening. Espanyol will travel to Girona FC (9-10-11, 37 pts) on Sunday afternoon in another match where three points is necessary with only eight match days left in the 2018-19 campaign.
Matchday 30 Results:
Athletic Bilbao 3:0 Levante
Atletico Madrid 2:0 Girona
SD Eibar 1:1 Rayo Vallecano
Leganes 2:1 Real Valladolid
Sevilla 1:1 Alaves
Villarreal CF 0:1 FC Barcelona
Real Sociedad 2:0 Real Betis
Huesca 0:1 Celta Vigo
Valencia CF 1:2 Real Madrid
A look at La Liga 1|2|3 through 33 match days had RC Deportivo and Malaga CF holding the top two spots at 80 and 76 points. UD Las Palmas sits comfortably in third with 75 points. The other three playoff spots are held by Granada CF (61 pts), CA Osasuna (60 pts) and Real Sporting (56 pts). CD Lugo and Real Oviedo are still within shouting distance with just nine matches remaining.
GIRONA FC 1:3 RCD ESPANYOL
Estadio de Montilivi (Capacity: 13,450)
Pablo Piatti scored twice as Espanyol picked up a big three points.
SCORING:
24' - (ESP) - P. Piatti
48' - (ESP) - P. Piatti
82' - (ESP) - S. Darder
90'+ - (GIR) - A. Granell
DISCIPLINE:
7' - (GIR) - J. Ramalho (Red)
45' - (GIR) - V. Fischer (Yellow)
66' - (GIR) - B. Garcia (Yellow)
72' - (ESP) - L. Lopez (Yellow)
4/7/19
Girona, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol put together a solid 90 minutes of football on Sunday afternoon and they came away with a 3-1 victory over new regional rival Girona. Pablo Piatti scored twice to help pace Espanyol to their second straight win as the campaign winds down and every point is critical.
Carlos Alena had a great chance to put Espanyol in front in the opening minutes as he split the Girona defense, but he got tripped from behind in the box by Jonas Ramalho resulting in a red card as well as a penalty (a complete surprise in FIFA 19). Carles Alena stepped up and struck it low and left but Yassine Bounou guessed correctly and got a hand on it to knock it wide and keep the match scoreless.
It would remain that way until the 24th minute as Estaban Granero dribbled down the left side of the box, he passed it across teh front of the goal, where an unmarked Pablo Piatti tapped it in to put Espanyol up 1-nil.
Emmanuel Boateng had a chance to increase that lead in the 28th minute but he drilled a right footed kick off of the top of the crossbar. Newly promoted 17-year-old Mario Diaz would score in the 35th minute on a nifty pass from Sergi Darder, but the play was called offside. Diaz would bend a beautiful free kick into the box in the 45th minute, that Carles Alena got on the end of, but he headed the ball just wide of the far post.
Espanyol would extend their lead to 2-nil in the 48th minute as Roberto Rosales sent a perfect cross that Pablo Piatti volleyed past a helpless Yassine Bounou. They would make it 3-nil in the 82nd minute when Mario DIaz rolled a ball into the box that charging Sergi Darder buried.
Girona would get a late marker by Alex Granell but it was too little, too late.
Espanyol (13-7-11, 46pts) won their second straight game and swept Girona, winning 2-1 at home back in November. Girona (9-10-12, 37 pts) remains in 11th place and is staring a mid-table finish in their second season in La Liga.
Up next for Espanyol is a home match against Deportivo Alaves (8-11-12, 35 pts) next Sunday afternoon. Espanyol trails seventh place Real Sociedad by a point, and are five points back of Villarreal.
Matchday 31 Results:
Getafe 0:1 Athletic Bilbao
Real Valladolid 1:0 Sevilla
Levante 1:1 Huesca
Real Madrid 3:0 SD Eibar
FC Barcelona 2:2 Atletico Madrid
Rayo Vallecano 1:1 Valencia CF
Celta Vigo 0:1 Real Sociedad
Real Betis 2:1 Villarreal CF
Alaves 1:1 CD Leganes
RCD ESPANYOL 2:2 DEPORTIVO ALAVES
RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)
Estaban Granero put home a penalty in the 39th minute.
SCORING:
17' - (ALA) - J. Guidetti
31' - (ESP) - E. Boateng
39' - (ESP) - E. Granero (P)
45' - (ALA) - V. Laguardia
DISCIPLINE:
49' - (ALA) - R. Sabrino (Yellow)
4/14/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - Espnayol had to settle for a 2-2 draw on Sunday evening with a pesky Deportivo Alaves at RCDE Stadium. Sergi Darder earned Man of the Match honors, but the big story was Espanyol dropping points to a team located down the table.
Deportivo Alaves would stun Espanyol early on when John Guidetti elevated up above both Leo Baptistao and Lluis Lopez and headed home a corner kick in the 17th minute to put the visitors up 1-nil.
The next quarter hour was tense at RCDE Stadium as the crowd was quiet and uneasy, but that changed in the 31st minute. Sergi Darder got the ball at the top of the box, turned and fed a perfect pass to Emmanuel Boateng. Boateng one timed it past a helpless Fernando Pacheco to level the match.
Minutes later Leo Baptistao was taken down in the box by Ruben Duarte. Estaban Granero stepped up and calmly hit the lower left corner and Espanyol had the lead 2-1. But Deportivo Alaves had an answer just before halftime. A corner was sent in and cleared by Lluis Lopez, but it went straight to Ibai Gomez. He dribbled once and crossed it to Victor Laguardia, who headed it home to level the match and quiet the crowd as the teams went to halftime tied at 2-2.
The second half featured a lot of midfield play and few chances. Espanyol had the two best chances in the second half. Estaban Granero had a great chance in the 69th minute, but Fernando Pacheco got a hand on his shot to knock it over the bar. Emmanuel Boateng split the Alaves defense in the 84th minute, but his shot sailed just wide of the far post.
Espanyol (13-8-11, 47 pts) was outshot 12-9, but did hold a 6-2 advantage in the second half. Deportivo Alaves (8-12-12, 36 pts) sits mired in 13th place and is looking at a mid-table finish.
Espanyol sits in seventh place and will hit the road next Sunday as they travel to Valencia to take on Levante UD (7-8-17, 29 pts) sitting in the relegation zone in 18th place.
Matchday 32 Results:
Huesca 0:2 FC Barcelona
Atletico Madrid 4:0 Celta Vigo
Leganes 0:1 Real Madrid
Real Sociedad 1:2 SD Eibar
Valencia CF 3:1 Levante
Athletic Bilbao 0:2 Rayo Vallecano
Sevilla 0:2 Real Betis
Girona 1:1 Villarreal CF
Real Valladolid 2:1 Getafe
Quarterfinal Results:
PSG 2:3 (3:5) Manchester City
Roma 1:1 (2:4) FC Barcelona
FC Bayern Munchen 1:1 (2:2) Juventus (Juventus advances 5-4 on penalties)
Liverpool 2:1 (3:1) AS Monaco
Quarterfinal Results:
Chelsea 0:2 (1:2) Villarreal CF
Dortmund 2:3 (3:5) Leverkusen
Napoli 2:3 (4:4) Sporting CP (Sporting CP advances on away goals)
Olympiakos CFP 0:0 (1:3) Besiktas
LEVANTE UD 0:5 RCD ESPANYOL
Cuitat de Valencia (Capacity: 26,354)
Pablo Piatti celebrates his sixth goal in his last seven appearances.
SCORING:
27' - (ESP) - S. Darder
34' - (ESP) - P. Piatti
42' - (ESP) - E. Granero
62' - (ESP) - O. Melendo
83' - (ESP) - S. Maguire
DISCIPLINE:
78' - (ESP) - S. Darder (Yellow)
4/21/19
Valencia, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol played their best match of the season on Sunday afternoon as they absolutely blasted Levante UD 5-nil. This was domination from the start with five different players finding the score sheet as Espanyol extended their unbeaten streak to a season high four matches with three of those being wins.
Espanyol would get on the board in the 27th minute when Sergi Darder came in unmarked and blasted it into the top right corner. Darder would make a nice pass to Estaban Granero who found Pablo Piatti in the 34th minute. PIatti dribbled left past two defenders and roofed one to make it 2-nil.
Levante UD keeper Oier Olazabal made a huge save on Leo Baptistao in the 40th minute to keep the game within reach. Minutes later, it was Estaban Granero taking a pass from Sergi Darder and scoring to make it 3-nil as the teams went to the break.
Oscar Melendo hit a cracker from about 21 yards out into the top left corner in the 62nd minute to put Espanyol up by four. Substitute Sean Maguire would cap of the scoring in the 83rd minute as Pablo Piatti dribbled into the box and found Sean Maguire just inside the six yard box. He dribbled around Olazabal and scored to make it 5-nil.
The win moved Espanyol (14-8-11, 50 pts) into seventh place all alone and just five points back of both Valencia CF and Villarreal CF with five match days remaining in the 2018-19 campaign. Levante UD fell to (7-8-18, 29 pts) and sits 19th place as they scramble to avoid relegation. They did win the reverse fixture at RCDE Stadium back in September by a score of 3-nil.
Up next is a midweek matchup with Celta Vigo (12-8-13, 44 pts) who have been sliding down the table as of late, after challenging for a European spot for much of the campaign.
Matchday 33 Results:
Alaves 1:1 Real Valladolid
Real Madrid 2:1 Athletic Bilbao
SD Eibar 1:0 Atletico Madrid
FC Barcelona 3:1 Real Sociedad
Celta Vigo 2:2 Girona
Getafe 1:0 Sevilla
Villarreal CF 3:1 Leganes
Real Betis 2:1 Valencia CF
Rayo Vallecano 0:1 Huesca
Semifinal Draw:
FC Barcelona vs. Manchester City
Liverpool vs. Juventus
Semifinal Draw:
Besiktas vs. Leverkusen
Sporting CP vs. Villarreal CF
RCD ESPANYOL 1:0 CELTA VIGO
RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)
Carles Alena was sent off in the 35th minute.
SCORING:
5' - (ESP) - E. Boateng
DISCIPLINE:
18' - (CEL) - I. Aspas (Yellow)
29' - (ESP ) - C. Alena (Yellow)
31' - (ESP) - E. Boateng (Red)
35' - (ESP) - C. Alena (Yellow/Red)
82' - (CEL) - M. Gomez (Yellow)
90' - (CEL) - O. Yokuslu (Yellow)
4/25/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - Espanyol picked up a huge three points on Thursday evening as they defeated Celta Vigo 1-nil at RCDE Stadium, despite playing the final 65 minutes down two men.
Emmanuel Boateng scored just five minutes in as he took a pass from Sergi Darder, split the defense and placed the ball into the lower left corner. Boateng would then get sent off in the 31st minute for a late tackle. Just four minutes later, Carles Alena picked up a second yellow and subsequent red card for a tackle just outside the Espanyol box.
Espanyol would then go into a full defensive shell for the final hour. But even down two men, then did not allow many good opportunities for Celta to score. They would get outshot 13-4, including 9-0 after Alena's red card.
Sergi Darder would earn Man of the Match honors, recording an assist on Boateng's goal.
Espanyol (15-8-11, 53 pts) moved to within two points of Valencia CF for six position in La Liga, and just three back of Villarreal CF. They have now gone five games unbeaten with four wins. They have a tall order ahead on Sunday as they travel to Seville to take on third place Real Betis (22-5-7, 71 pts). Real Betis won the reverse fixture 3-2 back on December 16th at RCDE Stadium.
Matchday 34 Results:
Sevilla 2:1 Rayo Vallecano
Real Valladolid 1:1 Girona
Huesca 1:3 SD Eibar
Getafe 2:2 Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid 2:1 Valencia CF
Levante 1:1 Real Betis
Alaves 1:1 FC Barcelona
Leganes 0:1 Athletic Bilbao
Real Sociedad 1:1 Villarreal CF
REAL BETIS 1:1 RCD ESPANYOL
Estadio Benito Villamarin (Capacity: 60,720)
Oscar Melendo scored the lone goal for RCD Espanyol.
SCORING:
14' - (ESP) - O. Melendo
69' - (BET) - Joaquin
DISCIPLINE:
NONE
4/28/19
Seville, ESP (AP) - Espanyol traveled to Estadio Benito Villamarin on Sunday afternoon and came away with a huge point as they drew 1-1 with Real Betis. Betis got a second half equalizer from Joaquin to secure a spot in the 2019-20 Champions League, their first since 2005-06.
Espanyol would grab the lead just 14 minutes in as Sergi Darder dropped a pass to Oscar Melendo running into the box. He dribbled once and struck a right footed shot into the lower left corner to put the visitors up 1-nil. Espanyol would dominate the opening half. Melendo missed a golden opportunity to put them up 2-nil in the 20th minute as he took a pass from Leo Baptistao at the penalty spot and struck it just wide of the left post.
Bonja Iglesius was stopped at point blank range by Pau Lopez in the 23rd minute. Iglesius got the start with the suspension of Boateng. Pable Piatti then missed in the 45th minute, sending a ball just off the cross bar on a shot from just outside the penalty area. Sergi Darder then struck a left footed shot across the goal mouth and just off the right post as time was expiring in the opening half. Espanyol would outshoot Real Betis 7-2 in the opening 45 minutes.
Bonja Iglesius had another incredible chance in the 50th minute as he got in on Lopez, but the Betis keeper stopped him to keep it a one goal match.
William Carvalho almost tied it in the 55th minute and he got free in the box and sent a right footed shot just wide of the post. Betis would finally capitalize in the 69th minute off of an Espanyol turnover. Damia lost the ball in the midfield, and Lo Celso sent a perfect through ball that Joaquin ran onto. He one-timed it left past a helpless Edu Frias to level the match.
Pau Lopez would make two unbelievable saves in the 85th minute. The first was on Leo Baptistao from the top of the six, then he stopped the rebound that went to Damia to keep the match level. William Cavalho had a chance to help Real Betis get all three points in the dying moments as he got free in the Espanyol box, but his chip shot sailed high and wide and both teams had to settle for the draw.
Espanyol (15-9-11, 54 pts) remains in seventh position but lost ground to Valencia CF and now trail them by four points with three matches remaining. They are five points clear of Real Sociedad though for what is likely a Europa League spot.
Up next is a return home to face second place Atletico Madrid (23-7-5, 76 pts) who trail Real Madrid by five points. Espanyol will then travel to Leganes before closing at home against Real Sociedad.
Notes: Big injury news coming out of the match was the loss of Oscar Melendo for up to two months with a broken toe. He is tied for the team lead with eight goals. Manager Raul Tamudo said that the club will likely make a call up from the youth squad to replace Melendo.
Matchday 35 Results:
Atletico Madrid 4:1 Real Valladolid
FC Barcelona 4:1 Levante UD
Girona 1:2 Sevilla
Valencia CF 2:0 SD Eibar
Rayo Vallecano 1:2 Real Madrid
Athletic Bilbao 2:1 Alaves
Leganes 1:0 Celta Vigo
Real Sociedad 1:1 Getafe