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1-0: Ecstasy
A goal by Gerard Moreno in the last minute gives Espanyol a deserved victory
Espanyol lived one of its most magical nights at the RCDE Stadium. A goal from Gerard Moreno in the last breath gave the blue and white team the victory against R. Madrid in an exciting game that ended with a just victory for Espanyol. The white and blue went from less to more and ended up prevailing to the group trained by Zinedine Zidane, that hardly disturbed the goal of Diego Lopez. The scorer's goal was the culmination of a great perico night.
In his research to find the best line-up and recover the identity that gave success last season, the blue and white coach, Quique Sánchez Flores again made changes in his starting eleven. Marc Navarro regained ownership on the right side, Victor Sanchez returned to the centre of the field and Sergio Garcia occupied the attack with Gerard. R. Madrid, on the other hand, came out with a line-up conditioned by the casualties, but with high-quality players like Bale or the ex-pericos Lucas or Asensio.
The blue and white team understood that the formula to achieve a positive result was to give up the domain of the ball and try to surprise in some counter attack. The reality is that the possession was clearly a visitor in the early stages of the clash and Zidane soon threatened with a header from Bale that Diego Lopez solved with a great intervention. The Galician was again providential shortly after the clearance to corner a poisoned center of Isco. Espanyol, who had not just created a game, remained in the game thanks to the good interventions of the Blue and White goalkeeper.
The premises were connected to the match thanks to an error by R. Madrid. Carlos Sánchez cut a bad visitor clearance and the ball came to Gerard who, only against Navas, could not score. The Catalan striker saw how the Tico cleared his shot with the leg although the referee did not indicate the consequent corner. The blue and white '7' was the protagonist shortly after in another play that ended in goal, but that the referee annulled by a very fair offside. Espanyol was losing shyness and was increasingly able to create danger against a Real Madrid that, before the break, only approached on a couple of occasions that ended with two separate shots of Isco.
The start of the second half was clearly blue and white. Espanyol stepped on Navas’ area frequently and put Navas in trouble. The visiting goalkeeper was attentive to clear a corner after a shot by Sergio Garcia without an angle and then saw how the crossbar allied with him to repel a header by Óscar Duarte. He continued insisting the parakeet that turned Navas into the best visiting player. The goalkeeper had to make an effort in two shots by Gerard and Víctor Sánchez that could have ended in a goal of taking a bit more strength. Diego López was not bored either, he intervened in a pair of contras of the whites.
The game was balanced even though Espanyol did not lose the opposing goal by sight and continued to improve their chances of winning. The crowd believed in the victory and pushed their team in the final minutes in which the figure of Sergio Garcia emerged. The one of Bon Pastor attended first to Gerard that almost it marked with a forced head auction and, next, it looked for to surprise with a shit with the left. Gerard, in the last minutes of the match, could score, but his shot came close to Navas' club. The insistence had its prize and Gerard, in the last breath, hit a shot that beat the Costa Rican goalkeeper. Goal, madness in the stands and three points for a Espanyol that deserved the victory.