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2-0: Victory in extremis

Espanyol achieves its third win thanks to goals from Wu Lei and Sergi Darder in the final minutes

Espanyol has achieved its third consecutive victory after defeating Sporting de Gijón, with goals from Wu Lei and Sergi Darder in the final moments of the game. The blue and whites faced a very disciplined rival in Sporting, which limited itself to defending and attempting to draw. The Espanyol team were able to take advantage of one of the few clear scoring opportunities to get ahead on the scoreboard thanks to Wu Lei's opportunism. The Chinese attacker also set the second goal in motion, with Darder finishing it off in an endless counter.

Espanyol, having recovered after achieving two wins in a row, was confident of a third victory from the start. against Sporting de Gijón, which is coached by an old acquaintance: David Gallego, who started the season with good results. The loss of Cabrera at the last minute forced the blue and white coach, Vicente Moreno, to improvise with a hitherto unknown central pair: David López and Lluís López. Vicente Moreno's team took control of the match from the beginning, while their rival opted for defending themselves well and avoiding taking too many risks that could expose them. Sporting was well aware that their only options were to hold on and try to catch the parakeet's defence off guard.

Unlike other games, the blue and whites felt more comfortable with the ball and were able to command more control in the centre of the field, although they did have a hard time getting past the three-quarter line. The first to try was RDT, with a shot as far off as it was wide. Espanyol was improving and Sergi Darder proved it, after a good collective move, with a shot that ended up wide. The truth is that the home team based all its offensive flow on shots from outside the area. Melamed, Embarba and RDT continued to besiege Mariño, who only had to intervene once. Sporting was hardly visible, and limited itself to an orderly self-defence.

The game took a very different turn after the break. Sporting was able to soften the blow with more possession in their own field, but did not create any danger. Espanyol was not able to find its best rhythm, and was infected by its opponent which still did not suffer. The parakeets kept trying from a distance with shots from Sergi Darder and Embarba, who tried in every way possible. Vicente Moreno played Puado and Wu Lei to refresh their attack, and the Chinese striker had the clearest shot in a header that Mariño caught.

It seemed that the match was going to end in a draw, but Espanyol found a chink in the visitors' defence, and Wu Lei showed up to get the blue and whites ahead. The final minutes were as endless as the offensive progression of Sergi Darder, who scored Espanyol's second and final goal.