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1-1: A dissatisfying point

Melendo’s goal put Espanyol in front, but Dídac’s harsh red card penalised the team and provoked the reaction by Oviedo

Espanyol could only take one point against a R. Oviedo side which knew they had to take a step forward when the home side were reduced to ten men. With so much time of the match remaining, Oviedo shook off the white and blue domination with long periods of possession that ended in taking the draw at the RCDE Stadium.

Espanyol started the match positively and were quick to threaten Femenías’ goalmouth. Raúl de Tomás (RDT) created the first opportunity and Melendo put Espanyol ahead when the two teams were barely just settling into the match. RDT opened up a gap in the Oviedo defence for a shot at goal, and Melendo was alert to stick it past Femenías to put the white and blues in front.

Espanyol started to control the game and moved deep into the opposition half to try and increase the lead. RDT started a move on the right wing, but his final shot didn’t have the desired effect and flew over the bar.

Oviedo started to stretch lines and kept possession for long periods, but didn’t manage to challenge Diego López at any time. On the contrary, the white and blues approached and threatened the goal with every possible opportunity, like the rebound that came to Cabrera who ended up striking it against the top of the bar.

And as usual, VAR also had its part to play in the match. Dídac Vilà made a late challenge on Juanjo Nieto after they were both running towards the ball, which resulted in him making contact with the leg of the “Carbayón” defender. Yellow card. The players exchanged a few words of reconciliation, and there was no protest on Oviedo’s part, but the referee was informed by VAR while the Asturian footballer was receiving attention. Update of opinion. Red card. And a general feeling of disbelief. It was not a deliberate, reckless nor violent challenge for the ball. The faces of the players said everything without saying a word. It came as a total surprise, a complete shock…

Before the match, Espanyol were missing two right wingers due to injury and Pedrosa was out due to a suspension. From the 37^th minute, following Dídac Vilà’s red card, Vicente Moreno had to organise a different defence against a rival which had different speeds and resources up front at their disposal. The red card changed the tone of the match, and this was even more noticeable in the second half. Ziganda was aware of this and started to warm up players on the bench, in order to put more arsenal onto the pitch.

Just a few minutes after Nahuel came onto the pitch, he struck an incredible bullet with his right foot from outside the box that proved to be unstoppable for Diego López, and levelled the scoreline. Espanyol closed lines, concentrated on defending, stopped any of the visitor’s chances and created an opportunity near the end of the match. The result didn’t change and the point accumulated left a feeling of dissatisfaction due to what could have been more.