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2-1: Vital victory late on
RCD Espanyol prevail in spectacular fashion with a last-minute winner over Levante UD
RCD Espanyol scored a 99th minute winner to defeat Levante UD 2-1 on Sunday.
Knowing the significance of the match in the fight for promotion, Espanyol got off to a superb start when Martin Braithwaite found himself unmarked at the back post and squeezed it in after just two minutes.
Levante were finding their way through the backline but to no avail; Dani Gómez, who returned to the Stage Front Stadium having spent last season on loan here, could not test Fernando Pacheco when he got into the box. An even first half did not allow many chances for either side, albeit in a tightly contested opening 45 minutes.
The second half got underway with Espanyol looking more likely to score, as Braithwaite’s header was saved by Andrés Fernández while Pol Lozano and Omar Sadik could not test the keeper. Levante went up the other end and found the equaliser from a corner routine, levelling it up just before the hour mark.
With the scoreline even, Espanyol needed to muster up the momentum to get back in front. They were also reliant on keeping tight at the back as Levante looked to turn it around, and Gómez had a guilt-edged chance late on where his volley was sliced wide from acres of space in the box.
As the clock ticked past the minimum of six minutes added on, Espanyol won a penalty when Braithwaite’s cross was handballed by Álex Muñoz. It was the Dane who collected the ball and smashed his penalty into the back of the net just shy of 100 minutes of football, and the final kick of the game was the winning one.
A crucial win for Espanyol which sees the team shoot up the LALIGA Hypermotion table just a point off the automatic promotion spots, and a fighting performance embodying the perico spirit to fight until the end.