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2-0: A solid performance

The Blue and Whites close the first round with a comfortable win against CD Castellón

Espanyol finished the first round of the championship with a win, crowning them the winter champions. Melamed soon put the Espanyol team ahead on the scoreboard and Puado sealed the deal just before the break. In the second half, the Blue and Whites managed to maintain their lead. Their rivals had their chances, but never really had much consistency.

Espanyol closed out the first round against CD Castellón with the aim of getting the vital three points needed to secure the lead and crown them winter champions. Vicente Moreno made some changes to his line-up. Llambrich returned to the right, Calero regained his spot at the heart of the backline, while Melamed returned to the starting lineup after playing in the Copa del Rey against Burgos.

Espanyol came out with strong determination and conviction. After the defeat against UD Las Palmas, Vicente Moreno's team didn't want to suffer another setback against a lower-ranked rival. They soon dispelled any doubts. The Blue and Whites came out convincingly and it wasn't long before their confidence was reflected in the scoreboard. Melamed got the ball in the area, quickly prepared his strike and got past Campos to score the first goal. However, Castellón reacted strongly, locking Espanyol in their own half for a few minutes. Yet again, Diego López was key to stopping the visitors equalizing.

After the scare, Espanyol took control of the game again, and carried on putting their rivals in danger with each of their advances. RDT had a great opportunity to extend the lead, but ran into a strong Campos. David López also came very close to scoring twice, putting the pressure on his rivals in the strategy plays. Vicente Moreno's team showed a sense of superiority against their strong-willed rivals, who failed to really intimidate Diego López. In the final stretch of the first half, Puado took advantage of some brilliant individual play from RDT to score the second.

Espanyol weren't as fine-tuned after the break, although they played at a pace which kept them ahead on the scoreboard. In any case, each advance by the Blue and Whites spelled danger for their rivals, particularly with RDT's eagerness to score. Puado got the third, but it was called for offside, then Embarba missed a chance when he had everything in his favour. The Espanyol team did what they needed to do and had no problems taking the three points and keeping the lead.