Alavés keeps Espanyol grounded.

BarcelonaEspanyol, who on Tuesday, comfortably positioned in the European zone, celebrated their 125th anniversary, had high hopes. lighting up the city of Barcelona And on Wednesday, after some difficulty, they secured qualification for the next round of the Copa del Rey after win at Atlético Lleida's groundBut happiness is never complete for Espanyol, who on Sunday suffered a defeat at Alavés thanks to an early goal from Denis Suárez and another from Lucas Boyé, who capitalized on the errors of a team unaccustomed to making them. The Basque side brought Espanyol back down to earth.

And all this despite Manolo González fielding a starting eleven. Kike GarcíaHe had scored three goals in his last two matches and is a beloved figure at Alavés, where he netted fifteen goals last season. Mendizorrotza welcomed him with open arms, but this time the "former player curse" didn't apply. Well, it did, but not with him, rather with former Espanyol player Denis Suárez – Celta Vigo almost loaned him to Cornellà-El Prat for half a season – who pounced on a loose ball in the box to open the scoring after a lapse in concentration from the visiting defense.

Too many mistakes from Espanyol

The Catalans faced another challenge, forced to mount a comeback at the home of the team with the fewest goals conceded in La Liga. They are also one of the lowest-scoring sides, although it didn't seem that way yesterday: before the first quarter of an hour, Marko Dmitrovic had already made two crucial saves with his feet to prevent Lucas Boyé, and then Yusi, from further complicating matters for the Espanyol fans. Alavés were overwhelming the Pericos, who looked unrecognizable and disconnected from the start. Jofre, incisive down the wing, rebelled against the home side's initial onslaught, and a solo run of his ended with a shot off the post and into his own net by Jonny. Antoniu Roca, Pere Milla, and Edu Expósito also tried their luck, with the same result. The game had changed; despite the scoreline, the Pericos were in control and threatening to equalize.

But a serious error by Rubén Sánchez, a complete idiot, who complicated things by playing the ball out from the back, further jeopardized the match for Espanyol. Boyé stole the ball and scored the second goal. Manolo González's face said it all. Not even Cabrera's crossbar, from a dangerous cross by the captain, changed the Galician coach's expression. At halftime, he shook things up, bringing on Roberto and Dolan, and switching to a 4-4-2 formation.

The Andalusian striker almost reduced the deficit with his first touch, but his shot went just wide. The second chance was the winner: he made it 2-1 with a brilliant header from a Carlos Romero cross. Immediately afterward, Kike García had to leave the field with a heavy blow to his knee. He received a standing ovation from the home fans.

Without him, Espanyol lost their threat, though they continued to try, especially from set pieces. But Alavés, who finished with ten men after Boyé's sending off and are the only La Liga team yet to concede from a set piece, tightened their defense and made a comeback impossible for Espanyol, cutting short their happiest week.