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Controversial late penalty hands Espanyol defeat against Real Sociedad

The team lose 1-0 on the road in a Monday night LaLiga fixture

A late penalty under controversial circumstances saw RCD Espanyol lose their Matchday 30 contest against Real Sociedad, falling 1-0 at the Reale Arena in San Sebastian.

RCD Espanyol came into the game off the back of the international break, although the contest came too soon for Diego López to return to full fitness. In his absence, Oier Olazabal was chosen as the starting goalkeeper for Los Pericos, and he first made a save from a Zubeldia header and then tipped out a close-range shot by David Silva.

The best early chance for RCD Espanyol came for Leandro Cabrera, who shot off target from a free kick.

A first intervention for VAR came at the start of the second half, as a goal for the home side's Sorloth was disallowed for a foul by him on Cabrera.

The referee would also wave off an Espanyol penalty appeal, as a clear kick by Robin Le Normand on Loren Morón inside the box was ignored by the official -much to the dismay of the visiting team.

In the end, La Real took the victory when the game seemed destined for a draw. Both Cabrera and Javi Puado failed to hit the net with good headers in the closing moments, before the tide turned with a Merino fall inside the box. The referee adjudged there to have been a foul, awarded the penalty, and Aleksander Isak scored the only goal of the contest in the 95th minute.

A frustrating sense of injustice was felt amongst the RCD Espanyol players and coaching staff, as they were denied a point at the death.

The team will be back in action this Saturday, playing Celta Vigo at the RCDE Stadium.