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2-2: A point of pride

Espanyol reacts and draws in Balaídos in an intense and uncertain match with alternatives

Separated by only one point, Espanyol and Celta wanted to measure their strength now that the slope of the championship begins. There is still a long way to go, true, but you have to be well placed to fine-tune the aspirations of the teams in the final stretch. Alive as they are in Europe, the home team affords the domestic championship with the intention to continue to run for the top seven. Espanyol, as Quique said, has now won the right to that fight. The first obstacle was in Balaídos.

In a field where they have not won for a decade, the white and blue players aspired to show their team credentials under construction, but with the ambition to fight until the end of the tournament. The visiting misfortune, however, was for Marc Navarro who was injured before the first  quarter of an hour and raised Iago Aspas. They say that the Galician striker is living his best season as a professional. At least it seems to be true as per his most recent dispaly.

But the match was alive. In the first corner kick, Gerard nodded to the back of the net to draw the score. It seemed like another game was starting. It would seem that everyone was waiting for a break. But there was no truce. Wass invented a shot from outside the area that ended at the bottom of the net just before half an hour. With the 2-1 Celta wanted to cool the game and found another acceleration blue-green that culminated Piatti with a shot between the legs of Ruben. 2-2. Half an hour in the match and everything to decide, among other things because Sisto crashed the ball into the post almost immediately. But there was still more to tell: for example, Fontás cut a quick hand against Hernán and was booked for the second time so he got sent off took just before half time.

Still to be decided, the second half was open, attractive and uncertain. Celta was going to try their best in the first few minutes. It seemed more than obvious. I was looking to open the score board again and then play with metres ahead, which is the way the prefer. Quique took out, soon, to Jurado to add troops in the midfield and gain possession. The team found itself comfortable and was adding metres and seconds to their possessions. The ball moved pretty freely and approached the goal of Rubén with more presence. The only shocks for the white and blue came from the boots of Iago Aspas, who fought with everything that moved and looked for the minimum gap between the full backs to balance the numerical inferiority of his team in the second half.

Paitti had it in the last third of the game, after a pass by Hernán, but his shot was too high. The final stretch remained and the party was again winning in tension and uncertainty.