An unfortunate slip frustrates Espanyol's co-leader

BarcelonaFor the second Sunday in a row, Pere Milla unleashed ecstasies among the blue and white fans. In the Basque Country, the iconic striker from Lleida, with the hair of a cult singer, found the net again and, within minutes of the match, declared Espanyol's state of bliss, who had Real Sociedad on the ropes in a brilliant first hour. It was short-lived because a defensive mishap turned everything upside down in a highly emotional duel that left Manolo González's team tasting bittersweet wine, as they took only a point from their visit to Real Sociedad.

The afternoon in San Sebastián started off full of surprises. In the presence of Alan Pace The presentation of Espanyol's new main sponsor, which had not yet been announced, was also joined in the stands. Conservas Dani was also present, as was the red of the Pericos' shirt, which they used as their away kit because the referee did not authorize them to wear white. The umpteenth surprise at the start was provided by Pere Milla, who, like Rubio and Dolan, was one of the new additions to the starting lineup.

Just 10 minutes into the match, the Lleida native, hero against Atlético de Madrid, scored the 0-1 with a diving header after a magnificent combination with Roberto, in a move initiated by the electric English winger, the fastest and most unbalancing of the visitors. Before the goal, in a vibrant start, Real Madrid had had three clear chances, but Dmitrovic had saved them.

Manolo González has built a block that is as uncomfortable as it is competitive, capable of adapting to any match scenario. Instead of crumpling with the txuri-urdin momentum, they were very aggressive from the start, seeking out their opponents in the other half, recovering and running. It turned out to be the best first half since the Galician became Espanyol's coach, pure rock 'n' roll from a highly energetic and effective team that, with only a third of possession, shot nine times in the first 45 minutes. The last shot ended with Puado making it 2-0, after a second penalty shot (he missed the first and it was retaken for invading the box) that had forced the tireless Roberto to give up.

The slip that changed everything

An unfortunate slip by Omar El Hilali in the fifteenth minute of the second half marred Espanyol's great performance and led to Barrene's goal to make it 2-1, putting Real Sociedad back in the game. From the goal on, Real Sociedad laid siege to the blue and white goal. Minutes later, Oskarsson equalized after a delightful assist from Oyarzabal.

Too much punishment for the Catalans, who melted like a sugar cube and were sustained from then on by Dmitrovic. With his saves, the Serbian goalkeeper thwarted the Basques' comeback and salvaged a valuable point for Espanyol, who remain unbeaten and whose unfortunate slip took them away from the co-leadership of La Liga.