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Let's never underestimate football. The memories of a life are too often tied to glories - few - and misfortunes - too many - that should be alien. And they are not. Others are those who run and mark, those who fall and fall off. But the damn emotions are so special because they escape sanity. Barcelona, ​​without authority to raise his chin, said goodbye to Espanyol at Camp Nou. The next season, after 27 years, he will play in Segunda, where he will have to remember old ghosts, but also old heroes. Like the Russians Galiamin , Kuznetsov and Korneiev de Lara. Or that Iotov, introverted Bulgarian boy with more goals than words. The city of Barcelona loses for a time a chronic and unequal rivalry. From a distance you will appreciate a beauty that we have been used to denying for so long.

There was nothing more to attend the game of an Espanyol who appeared already evicted to the Camp Nou after between his four coaches they won five games. Against that Barcelona of which Quique Setién is so satisfied , proud because President Bartomeu assured him the job, the Blue and White footballers revealed the bad darning of their rival citizen. In such a way that if Espanyol did not catch two goals before the break it was, of course, thanks to Ter Stegen . The only bra that never fails.

The triumph of Barcelona against Villarreal that led to Setien's furious self-assertion brought with it some suspicion. The 4-4-2 in diamond, with Messi behind Suárez and Griezmann, worked fable largely because Calleja allowed a steppe behind his double pivot. Faced with the usual jam in the throat, this time plotted by Rufete at Espanyol from a 5-3-2, Barcelona returned to bureaucracy. To its sloppy version. The ball, cachazudo, became medicinal. The footballers were in the way. Sergi Roberto could not find a field to run, and Rakitic , substitute for Arturo Vidal, recovered his twilight face. Only the banks could offer some light. But Jordi Alba got fed up to center the package, where Cabrera and Bernardo repelled everything. And Semedo , it was simply Semedo. Lots of rush, not a single solution.

Espanyol defended. But he also dreamed every time Marc Roca's foot threw his colleagues to run. No one caught Embarba , but Ter Stegen's foot avoided the opening goal. Again the goal had to appear when the first act was already dying. The one who threw legs this time was Dídac Vilà . His focus disoriented Lenglet, who demanded another intervention from his goalkeeper. Dídac tried again, but with his right he could only carry the ball to the post.

Two expulsions

The nerves, under control in the first half, appeared strongly in the restart. Unfortunately for Espanyol, who did better in the sections of good sense and football. Ansu Fati , whom Setién had rescued to agitate the match, lasted four minutes on the field. He was expelled by nailing, in the heights, the sole in Calero's tibia. But Espanyol's hope also lasted four minutes. Another youthful sin, in this case of Pol Lozano , also left his team with ten. A blow to Piqué was to blame. It was not a day to turn away, the young men must have thought. There the sentence.

Espanyol felt so helpless, aware of everything he had let lose, that the first arreón was enough for Barcelona to open the doors of the churchyard to him. Griezmann , very active again, was the one who reached the baseline and pulled the spur to enable Messi. Cabrera saved the attempt, but could do nothing before the dead ball hunted by Luis Suárez .

The duel never abandoned its melancholic tone, as much as the firecrackers thundered behind the deserted stands of the Camp Nou while Raúl de Tomás was still sniffing the tie. Sad Barcelona, ​​who suffocates their football, only fought for the night to end and the League not to fade away. At least he did it, even if he was praying to all the saints. Espanyol, with his head held high, said goodbye.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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