Espanyol is still in freefall in the League. Although the team partly regained its best feelings, it was finally weighed down by two bad individual decisions by Naldo and Calero . There were two isolated actions, but they ended up costing him defeat against Valladolid (0-2). The first, in the end, would be the origin of the first rival, a highly protested penalty transformed by Míchel. The second would culminate in the expulsion of the defense and leave the party practically seen for sentencing. A sentence that would come from the hand of Oscar Flat , again, a few seconds to the end of the game. [Narration and statistics]

For once, Espanyol knew how to enter the game on the right foot. Wounded perhaps in his pride for having missed two points in Balaidos in the last second, which would have been worth his weight in gold, those of David Gallego jumped to the grass ready to have the ball, to control the game. And, during the first moments of the duel, the truth is that they got it. Ample. His, precisely, was the first clear goal action: a very well braided play culminated with Calleri's final shot to the post.

It was only the first warning. The Blue and Whites, during the first quarter of an hour, tried to haunt Masip's goal again and again. Finally, they seemed to have the patience necessary to chew the plays a little and dominate the tempo of the game. However, Valladolid, also in need of good feelings, finally knew how to shake the rival's domain and approach the area of ​​Diego López. In this case, moreover, with much more danger.

The Galician goalkeeper, who has already played more than 100 games with Espanyol, spectacularly disrupted the first dangerous arrival of Valladolid, generated by a failure in the displacement of the ball of Naldo. He even saved another committed rival shot in the back corner. Nothing, however, despite the confidence of former Blanquivioleta Calero, could do to prevent visitors from advancing through a penalty, much discussed by the Blue and Whites, transformed by Míchel to less than five minutes to fulfill the half an hour of play

The expulsion of Calero

The goal allowed Valladolid to change the tables. And Diego López , again, had to be very attentive to thwart an action in which Sandro remained practically alone within the area. Despite the good start of Espanyol, the 0-2 began to plan dangerously on Cornellà-El Prat. At the edge of the break, however, the blue and whites knew how to shake off the dominion of the Valladolid team and try to cancel their advantage before taking the path of the changing rooms. His attempts, however, fell in broken sack.

Nor would it be of any use to the locals to trumpet for the tie after the break. Darder and Calleri warned, but the first one sent his shot off shortly and the second was met with a great intervention by Masip. His attempt, moreover, would be seen in practice almost definitely condemned for the expulsion of a Calero who was too entrusted as the last man. His fault, moreover, would end in goal, finally invalidated by Joaquín Fernández's offside after the intervention of the VAR.

With one player less on the grass, Espanyol's options to get something out of the match, even if it wasn't an insufficient draw, were completely diluted. It didn't help Gallego to look for a revulsion with the entries of Wu Lei , David López and Piatti . Valladolid, in addition, would end up finally ruling the meeting at the last moment with a new goal, in this case Óscar Plano. The League, for the moment, remains a steep slope and full of stones. And Thursday touches a tough opponent in Europe: the CSKA of Moscow. Is that the turning point that the team needs so much?

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • sports
  • First division
  • RCD Espanyol
  • Real Valladolid CF

LaLigaOntiveros breaks the monotony in La Cerámica

LaLiga Santander 2019 - 2020 Espanyol falls down the cliff against Celta

LaLiga SantanderThe salary limits in First: 640 million between the first and the last