Barcelona vs Espanyol Review
Barcelona has extended their unbeaten streak to 27 league matches in the Derbi Barceloní, following a comfortable 3-1 victory over Espanyol at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, which has temporarily placed them nine points ahead at the top of La Liga. Barça prepared for this season’s first derby in excellent form, scoring four goals against both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid within a week, making their early lead in the match less surprising.
After Dani Olmo missed a header, he quickly redeemed himself by scoring off the post after receiving a clever pass from Lamine Yamal, cutting through Espanyol’s lackluster defense. Espanyol’s brief attempt to respond came from Javi Puado, who shot just wide, but they were soon caught out again by another well-placed ball. Marc Casadó found Raphinha, who was onside and unmarked, and his accurate pass allowed the Brazilian to delicately chip the ball over Joan García.
Olmo was proving to be a significant threat, and he struck again in spectacular fashion just before halftime, taking advantage of a defensive error that allowed Alejandro Balde to set him up at the edge of the box, where he fired a powerful shot into the bottom-left corner. As the halftime whistle blew, Espanyol had nothing to lose, and instead of remaining passive and trying to limit the score, they returned from the locker room with renewed determination. Their first real opportunity came from a direct free kick by Álvaro Tejero, which was expertly saved by Iñaki Peña.
Iñaki Peña was unable to prevent Espanyol from scoring when Carlos Romero sent a ball across the area that found Puado unmarked at the near post, allowing him to score easily and give Espanyol a glimmer of hope. The visitors soon found the net again, but the goal was disallowed because the ball had gone out of play before the cross. Barcelona realized they needed to secure their lead as they entered the final fifteen minutes of the match.
Clear opportunities to extend their lead were hard to come by, but ultimately, it was just another routine win for Barcelona. After asserting their dominance in the Catalan region once more, Hansi Flick’s team can enjoy their sixth consecutive victory, with five of those wins by a margin of at least three goals. It will take a lot, even from stars like Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe, to stop Barcelona now. Meanwhile, Espanyol remains just one point above the relegation zone and has yet to secure an away win this league season.
