Espanyol endures a 20-minute nightmare in Villarreal

BarcelonaEspanyol sorely missed Carlos Romero at the Estadio de la Cerámica. The left-back is owned by Villarreal and didn't play last night due to a clause in his loan agreement with the Catalan club. José Salinas played in his place, becoming the unwitting protagonist of Villarreal's first two goals, which dismantled Espanyol like a sugar cube, resulting in a humiliating 4-1 defeat. It was the worst night of a season that could have been historic, but which in 2026 is turning into a martyrdom of the last eighteen.

In recent days, one of Manolo González's main obsessions was to keep a clean sheet. And so, at the Estadio de la Cerámica, he solidified the midfield with a double pivot of Urko and Pol Lozano, tasked with preventing the opposition's counter-attacks. The forced absences of Romero and Terrats, also on loan from the Yellows, further shaken up the Galician's starting eleven, who breathed a sigh of relief when, ten minutes before the opening whistle, they learned that their student and executionerGerard Moreno was a last-minute absence from the Yellows' lineup.

Once again, the refereeing.

Gerard Moreno's replacement, Tajon Buchanan, was the star of the frantic start to the match. The Canadian came close to scoring with a point-blank shot saved by Salinas and a strike from the edge of the box that went wide. Villarreal, who had gone five games without a win, were eager to turn things around immediately. But Espanyol, with a similar run of form, would have taken the lead if it weren't for... againA referee's decision prevented it. Dolan sent in a cross that Omar El Hilali headed into the net, but Cordero Vega spotted a foul by Roberto on Cardona before the ball reached the touchline. However, he didn't signal the foul until the ball had crossed the line. As it was a borderline incident, VAR did not intervene.

This Espanyol is not the one from 2025

La Cerámica is a Champions League-caliber stadium, almost impregnable in La Liga, a ground where mistakes are unforgivable... and lately, Espanyol have been making them every matchday. That's how the game was finally unlocked, in the 35th minute. It all started with a seemingly harmless cross from Cardona, which Buchanan, aided by Salinas' passivity, flicked on, and Mikautadze finished with ease, blasting the ball past Dmitrovic. It's impossible to keep a clean sheet like that.

Five minutes later, Salinas scored his second own goal. In his attempt to deflect a cutback from Moleiro, the driving force behind Villarreal's counter-attack, he inadvertently put the ball into his own net. Espanyol players protested a foul by Gueye in the build-up, but this time neither referee Cordero Vega nor VAR saw it. Manolo González put his hands to his head, urging his players to push higher up the pitch, and it proved fatal. Pépé and Moleiro, pure verticality, exploited the spaces left by Espanyol, who had lost their characteristic firmness and competitiveness, to score the third and fourth goals in the 55th minute. The remaining half hour was a formality, ending with a header from Cabrera that masked the tragedy.