Espanyol is looking for heroes with history on their side.

BarcelonaCornellà-El Prat will be dressed to the nines to host its first relegation final. In its brief history of almost sixteen years, it has hosted one European qualification, two relegations, and two promotions, but until now, it hasn't had the opportunity to host the final of a La Liga match in which Espanyol is playing for its life on the final day. The Blue and Whites, who need to match or better the result Leganés gets against Valladolid against Las Palmas, are looking for heroes for another heart-stopping afternoon of transistor radios.

Despite being a new venue for the RCDE Stadium, this Saturday (6:30 p.m., 3Cat) the most veteran Blue and White fans will remember the suffering afternoons they experienced at Sarrià and Montjuïc, where Espanyol had to sweat profusely on numerous occasions. In fact, if we consider the current season, Espanyol has fought for survival until the final matchday in 16 of their 88 seasons in the top flight. That means they've had to struggle until the very end in almost one out of every five leagues.

But how have the Pericos fared so far in these kinds of close-quarters matches? Most precedents invite optimism. Or at least they demonstrate a great capacity for resilience and adaptation to dramatic scenarios where you have to have faith until the very end to ultimately survive. Espanyol has been saved in twelve of the fifteen seasons in which it arrived with homework to complete on the final day. It only ended up being relegated on three occasions: in 1961-62, 1968-69, and 1988-89. In the first and third of these years, it was relegated after falling into the second division. play-off for relegation, against Racing de Santander and Mallorca, respectively.

From Kubala to Coro, passing through Pitus Prat and Tamudo

In 1963-64, they also played in a tie against Sporting, which they managed to overcome with a 3-0 victory in the second leg, in which Kubala, Muñoz, and Idígoras scored. They are not the only players who have managed to score key goals that served to certify Espanyol's survival in the final match. The first to achieve this, in fact, was Pitus Prat, in 1935-36. The blue and whites needed a point to save themselves and got it against Racing de Santander (1-1) with a goal from the man who had been the league's all-time leading scorer.

Exactly a decade later, in 1945-46, it was Diego Castellà who equalized, with a double, in a match that Espanyol was losing 2-0 at Murcia. That point, combined with Alcoyano's defeat at Mestalla, placed Espanyol with the same points as Alicante, but above them, having won the goal average Particular. Another brace, this time from Àngel Calvo, sealed Espanyol's survival a year later, in 1946-47, again at the Enrique Roca stadium in Murcia. The Blue and Whites' victory also sent the Murcians to the Second Division.

There are three other precedents in the 1960s. In 1960-61, goals from Indio, Ernesto Domínguez, and an own goal from Ugartemendia certified Espanyol's comeback at San Mamés. And their survival, as all their direct rivals failed that matchday. Apart from the aforementioned 1963-64 season, in 1965-66 Espanyol were saved despite losing 0-2 to Atlético. Málaga's draw prevented the Blue and Whites from ending up fighting for another promotion to relegation.

A decade later, in 1977-78, Espanyol was saved again despite losing 1-0 to Salamanca in the final match. Betis and Hércules tied them on points, but the three-way tie sent the Andalusians, who had the advantage, to the second division. goal average A particular victory at Espanyol. This time, the point earned by the Alicante team, which forced a three-way tie, saved the Blue and Whites.

The 1987-88 season is remembered for the UEFA final loss in Leverkusen, but it came close to ending in an even bigger tragedy: Espanyol drew 0-0 with Logroñés, but were saved when Murcia lost and failed to equal them on points. Similar episodes also occurred in the early 1990s. In 1990-91, a brace from Xavier Escaich led to a 3-1 victory over Atlético Madrid that saved Espanyol from relegation on the final day. In 1991-92, the hero was Andrei Vladimirovich Mokh, who scored the equalizer against Real Sociedad (1-1) to secure the much-needed point.

The last two precedents are in the 21st century. In 2003-04, Tamudo and Lopo defeated an already relegated Murcia side with two late goals in a match that cost more than expected. In 2005-06, Ferran Corominas worked a miracle by scoring the goal in the 91st minute that saved Espanyol against a Real Sociedad side with nothing at stake. "We were very nervous, some teammates were crying, and in the end we were lucky enough to score. We asked Real Sociedad to ease up, but they didn't," Corominas himself recalled ten years later. in an interview in the ARAEspanyol, which less than a year ago celebrated promotion with a double from Puado, look for new heroes.