Carlos Romero sings happy birthday to Espanyol

Cornellà de LlobregatA big party at the RCDE Stadium to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Espanyol, founded on October 28, 1900. Saturday's matchday kicked off around midday with a popular butifarrada (sausage) and a period-inspired welcome on the team bus. It ended with over 30,000 fans celebrating a great win against Elche and an exciting start to the league season, with the Blue and Whites firmly in the European standings.

In the middle, a mosaic was unfolded, Alan Pace made his debut in the box As the club's owner and president, the 125th anniversary anthem was heard and Iñaki Peña shone between the sticks. All this, with Espanyol wearing an exceptionally yellow jersey (their first kit ever was that color) but without any bad luck. Carlos Romero ignored superstitions and kept the competition's surprise team on the ground, an Elche team unable to face Manolo González's team, who had only 22 seconds to scare Eder Sarabia's team. A lightning counterattack by the home side ended with Jofre going one-on-one against...

Iñaki Peña frustrates Pere Milla

It was the prelude to what was to come, with two authorial teams, very offensive and fun to watch, each in their own way, who had already had a couple of headers on goal within the first ten minutes. However, the ball belonged to the visitors, who didn't give anything away and initially accumulated 80% of the possession. This circumstance didn't worry Manolo González's team, accustomed to attacking spaces, and who once again came close to scoring with a spurring shot from the iconic Pere Milla, in a state of grace, which deflected off Peña and crashed against the crossbar. It would have been one of the goals of the year.

The Lleida native, the Blanquiazul top scorer, still had a couple more. First, with a free kick, and shortly before halftime, after a surgical long pass from center back Clemens Riedel, one of the surprises of the season for Espanyol; Both times, Iñaki Peña, the best of his team, appeared to deny the home team a goal. They had deserved it for a while.

Espanyol is a very hungry team and the third team in La Liga that shoots the most, only behind FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, and after the break they kept trying. So much so, that in the end it cost them dearly. A quick and beautiful combination from the pericos ended with A delicious assist from Edu Expósito Carlos Romero, an improvised striker in the play, who this time beat Peña. The party was now complete at the RCDE Stadium.

With the goal, the visitors took a step forward. Also Marko Dmitrovic, who with a pair of good saves made the Elche team's comeback futile and did his part in such a happy day for the Pericos, who, well organized, didn't suffer too much to hold on to the result. Espanyol has collected 18 points in ten matches, is enjoying one of its best moments of the last decade, and with the victory against Elche, it slept in a Champions League position. Nothing better to celebrate its birthday.