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4-1: Recovering sensations
Espanyol get their second consecutive home win to add 7 of 9 in a week
Quique Sánchez Flores's team closed a very positive week with a comfortable win against Deportivo Coruna thanks to the goals of Gerard (2), Baptistao and Arribas. The blue-and-whites, who read the game very well, achieved their purpose and ended up adding their second consecutive victory at RCDE Stadium to close these seven intense days with a remarkable balance of 7 of 9 points.
Espanyol, like in the previous matches, came out ready to solve quickly the confrontation. The team of Quique Sánchez Flores marked the territory from the beginning and made clear to Deportivo de la Coruña that he was not willing to give it any option. The truth is that the staging could not be better for the locals. After a first warning, Baptistao took advantage of a good centre from the right to score the first goal of the morning.
Espanyol took a breath; moment that took advantage of Deportivo to have more possession of the ball but without excessive depth. The most bustling was Cartabia who tried it on a couple of occasions without aim. On the other hand, the blue and whites needed very little to do any harm. Jurado was very close to the second, but he lacked millimetres to finish an immaculate centre of Piatti from the left. A shot of the Gerard was born the second goal of the morning. Arribas, unintentionally, surpassed his goalkeeper. The Catalan point had a magnificent opportunity to score the third, but his header was deflected. However, it was Baptistao who created the most danger. The Brazilian, who has always repeated that where he feels most comfortable is in band, was a real nuisance and the protagonist in the best approaches of Espanyol.
Deportivo's dominance was in crescendo after the break. The Galician set stretched the lines a little more and gave a first shock in a strategy play that did not enter by centimetres. Then it was Pau who showed his reflexes to clear a shot of Fede Cartabia that was in great danger. However, Depor did not miss the third chance he had. Luisinho surpassed his pair by speed and focused so that Borges, in semifallo, surpassed Pau.
Quique quickly moved the bench to oxygenate his team that began to transmit certain symptoms of fatigue. Barn, Sergio Garcia and Marc Roca entered by Piatti, Jurado and P. Diop in less than ten minutes. Pepe Mel, however, seeing that his team was getting closer to the draw, gave Andone entrance making it clear what his intentions were. Fortunately, when it seemed more complicated, Arribas committed a penalty on Granero. Gerard Moreno took the lead and again extended the lead on the scoreboard.
The goal made a dent in the visitors' defense and gave wings to the local strikers, especially, to Sergio Garcia who was in all. The forward Bon Pastor remembered the one who marveled in his last season. Little was lacking to get the best goal of the morning with a vaseline that went off narrowly. Gerard Moreno, in the end of the match, sentenced the match.