In Cornellà-El Prat, only what could happen on the lawn mattered. Espanyol was unmarked of any political reaction after the sentence of the procés and his fans acted accordingly. There was the odd flag. More Spanish than 'senyeres' , in an enclosure where stelades are not usually seen, but everything focused on a Pablo Machín who came to the club to let the team out of the descent. And, for the moment, after a new defeat at home, the fifth consecutive for the first time in its history, this time before a Villarreal convinced of its virtues, that goal is a little further. [0-1: Narration and statistics]

Of course, Machín opted to play with lanes. And he gave the alternative to the young Víctor Gómez . Everything seemed to line up so that the parakeets could smile again in the League. But it was not like that. The defense is still the line that needs more rivets. And Villarreal took advantage of it to beat Diego López in his only clear arrival throughout the first part. Ekambi, after picking up a first goalkeeper rejection, housed the ball at the bottom of the net. Far from being intimidated, the locals tried to respond, but they showed another of their great evils: the lack of aim.

Those of Calleja were enough to take advantage of a new defensive failure of the Blue and Whites to get a goal that would be a treasure. Pedrosa tried to be forgiven for his mistake with a good shot, not too placed, which did not give Sergio Asenjo too much trouble. And Calleri , in which it would be the best occasion for those of Machín in the first half, crashed his shot against the crossbar in the final stretch of the first 45 minutes. The rest had to serve so that the premises were rearranged. To try to turn the meeting around. And, apparently, they conjured up for it. A plot that, despite everything, would end up not achieving the desired effect.

The advantage on the scoreboard, in addition, allowed Villarreal to largely control the game against a team that needs to add wins. Espanyol has won only one match in the League . And that urgency was what led him to search insistently for the rival area, but with many difficulties to translate it clearly. And, as soon as he succeeded, he encountered a great Asenjo at all times. The VAR also corrected a penalty awarded in the first instance by Del Cerro Grande. Those of Calleja, meanwhile, had options to increase their advantage, but they also seemed to be infected by the lack of success of their rivals in the final meters.

For now, the change in the bench has not had the desired effect. Machin insisted on the day of his presentation that achieving his first victory is vital. Will next week come before Levante? League remains. There are still 29 days ahead. But, the later, the worse the outlook for the Blue and Whites will get.

In the press room, meanwhile, Calleja also resisted entering political assessments. "We are not here to put the pin of one game or another," said Villarreal coach, who explained that his team had no problem when moving to play the game. Although, yes, he described everything that is happening as something "painful". "We were notified and we left in advance, we did not want the trip to be extended, but there was no problem to come," he said.

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