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Match Report: Puado the hero in 3-2 win against Alavés

The captain scores a hat trick at the RCDE Stadium

Javi Puado was the star as RCD Espanyol took a 3-2 home win against Deportivo Alavés.  The captain got his first hat trick in the top flight and led the team to victory against very tough opposition.

Los Pericos, who had arrived at the international break with a healthy number of points, wanted to continue the improvement they had experienced in recent matches. They were facing a Deportivo Alavés that had picked up seven points in three games. Coach Manolo González brought back Landro Cabrera, who had missed the last match due to injury, and fielded recently returned internationals Král and Kumbulla.

RCD Espanyol came out very focused and went for the game from the start. Before the tenth minute they had already created two good goalscoring opportunities. Romero tried with a long shot and then it was Veliz who came close with a header.

The dominance from Los Pericos was rewarded with a goal for Puado, who took advantage of a cross from Tejero. He collected a rebound himself and assisted for Puado to poke the ball into the back of the net.

However, the visitors equalised from the first dangerous action they had enjoyed. A succession of errors allowed Tomás Conechny to strike. It was a blow for Espanyol, who went from dominating to being more imprecise and more hesitant in defence, struggling until the end of the first half.

They continued to have some doubts after the restart, but thse were quickly dispelled when Puado used another pass from Tejero to score the second goal for his side.

It was a turning point for the home team, who extended their advantage with the third goal from their captain, from the penalty spot. With his first LaLiga hat trick, the academy product became the top scorer in the history of the RCDE Stadium, surpassing Raul de Tomas and Sergio García, both with 27.

It seemed that Espanyol were going to enjoy a quiet afternoon, but things became more nervous. Joan García made a good save, but there was nothing he could do to stop Tenaglia's header that narrowed their advantage.

Espanyol held on until the end, despite the late push from Deportivo Alavés, and took a 3-2 win and three valuable points.