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2-1: Two fatal minutes

Espanyol in control, but without the three ponts reward

Espanyol was defeated for the first time this season against Alavés in Mendizorroza, a difficult field for us. Rubi's team went ahead thanks to a goal after a penalty shot by Leo Baptistao after reviewing the VAR, but, in two fatal minutes, Alavés reversed the score. Pacheco was their best player. Despite the ambitious approach of the blue and whites there was no way to achieve a goal that, at least, gave a point to the pericos.

Alavés started very active, such as Rubi expected. But Espanyol reacted. The home team started full of energy, and remembered how last season they won the three points thanks to the only clear occasion they had in the first minute. The home players put speed from the beginning thanks to the snatch of Sobrino and Jony, mainly . The Catalans, on the other hand, were calm, focused and confident in their options. They did not even hesitate when at two minutes the referee disallowed Borja's shot after clear hands.

The game for many minutes was up and down and, in that chaos, was handled somewhat better Espanyol. With a strong defence, Rubi's were only disturbed by a swift counter-attack of Sobrino who was not able to finish in the last second, after giving a kick to the air. Alavés players claimed a penalty with insistence but it was not necessary to use the VAR. Iglesias Villanueva was sure about it.

A shot by David López, after an action on the ball and another, much more spectacular, Baptistao from outside the area to which Pacheco reacted with agility, were the prelude to what served the VAR later. The referee let David López fall inside the box, but they warned him to keep an eye on the screen. He saw the repeat of the corner kick and decreed that Laguardia had knocked down the Catalan center inside the penalty box. Penalty and protests from the stands and the players. Baptistao executed a good shot and put the blue and whites ahead.

If the VAR was decisive in the first half, it was also decisive at the beginning of the second half. A counter attack executed by Granero and Baptistao ended with Sergio García's final shot that ended in the net. Nobody protested the blue and white goal, but a new tip-off to the referee forced him to look again at the screen and saw that he could have played outside of Borja Iglesias. That must have whistled the referee to prevent him from taking center. Pacheco started the game again. That play fueled local hope. Of a possible lack to Sergio García was born a throw in favour of the premises that ended with a header from Borja that Diego López did not reach. But, immediately, the reply. Baptistao returned to try Pacheco. There was an eternity left and another gear had to be engaged. It was also understood by Alavés who sought a new counter attack and found it with Jony and Sobrino, who ended up beating Diego López. Two goals in two minutes to turn the game around and throw away all the good things our team had done so far.

With Alavés in control, Espanyol had to row against the current and look for more attacking options. Our team dominated fully,  created more chances, more moves in the rival's area, but did not finish right in the final metres. Rubi put all the powder on the field and the team tried until the end without success. First defeat of the season in a match in which errors penalized the Espanyolistas a lot.