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1-1: A point of blue and white pride
Espanyol is one step away from the victory in the derby that had moments of great tension and emotion
Espanyol was very close to winning another derby again. The blue and white team completed a spectacular match against FC Barcelona, but in the end they could only add one point. The team of Quique Sánchez Flores played with pride, passion and a lot of intelligence and that allowed them to get ahead on the scoreboard thanks to a goal from Gerard Moreno. FC Barcelona, who had many problems to counter the game perico, only managed to tie at the end of the game thanks to a goal from Gerard Piqué on a free kick. Espanyol, despite the draw, kept believing until the end although, this time, the miraculous goal did not arrive.
Quique Sánchez Flores decided to use another tactical variant to face FC Barcelona. After betting on a very populated midfield in the two previous Copa del Rey matches, the blue and white coach recovered the classic 4-4-2 with Víctor and Darder in the midfield and with Granero and Jurado in the wings. In the front, Baptistao, very incisive, and Gerard, the soul of the team that played very motivated. In addition, the blue and white coach chose to put David López back on the central defender with the company of Naldo. Many changes to try to stop a FC Barcelona that came out without Messi, Jordi Alba or Sergi Roberto.
The first minutes of the derby were similar to the derby: a cold, apathetic derby, with a not very brilliant football. Espanyol started making many inaccuracies and barely had the ball. Only stretched in some arrival by right wing that ended up in the hands of Ter Stegen. However, everything changed before the first quarter of an hour had passed when former Espanyol player Coutinho crashed a ball into the crossbar. Far from being scared, those of Quique Sánchez Flores reacted and with desire. Baptistao responded with a good individual action that cleared Ter Stegen with troubles. The Brazilian starred in all the attacking plays of the locals. The forward had two good options before the break, especially, a header that went high for very little after a cross from Navarro. Baptistao, in addition, was the object of a clear Piqué in a counter favourable to the Blue and Whites that Gil Manzano ignored completely to anger the stands.
The second part started well for Espanyol with a new connection between Gerard and Leo Baptistao. The Brazilian acted with coldness, but ended up exceeding the bottom line and Gerard's subsequent goal did not rise to the scoreboard. The two coaches began to move the bench in search of solutions to undo the tie. Valverde put in the hands of Sergi Roberto and Messi, while Sánchez Flores put Sergio García on the field. It was clear that Barcelona went a step further looking for victory.
The blue and white team did not lose concentration and in an increasingly complicated field continued playing with intelligence. The espanyolistas managed to make their rival feel more and more uncomfortable on the ground of Cornellà-El Prat and the number of errors, on the part of the visitors, increased noticeably. So much so that, in an attempt to get the ball controlled from behind, Baptistao stole and passed for Sergio Garcia who put a centre measured in the head of Gerard Moreno. Goal!
Valverde risked with the entry of Jordi Alba, a side with vocation for striker, to try the comeback. Espanyol, driven by the stands, brought out all their pride before a Barcelona that was not comfortable. The unique resource of the azulgranas were the plays of strategy. And, in one of them, Piqué appeared to tie the derby and leave Espanyol without a prize that he deserved.