Espanyol has reached its peak and threatens to break it

BarcelonaBravo to those who chose a nativity play, an afternoon of shopping at a crowded mall, the Saturday movie on public television, or simply staring out the window or even at the ceiling of their house rather than attend the spectacle that Getafe and Espanyol offered on a December night that won't go down in football history. But bravo also to the Espanyol fans' resilience, happy once again this weekend for a victory as unspectacular as it was important. It's their fourth consecutive win in La Liga and consolidates their position in European qualification for a team they haven't seen so high in the standings for fifteen years. The derby on January 3rd at Cornellà-El Prat will be interesting.

The Getafe-Espanyol match was the antithesis of a game that creates fans. This is often said when a match can ignite passions beyond the teams playing. But the truth is, the spectacle only captivated the most devoted fans of the two teams involved, whose strength lies in fighting spirit, brawls, and maximizing their offensive opportunities. Facing off on a football pitch, the Madrid and Catalan sides offered up a wide array of pushes, inaccuracies, protests, and minor ambushes in the first half, in which the referee, the infamous Gil Manzano, quick to hand out cards, had a field day, especially with the home team, who tend to push the boundaries of the rules. Getafe didn't test Dmitrovic once before halftime, while Espanyol, without the ever-energetic Dolan, only troubled David Soria with a free kick taken by Edu Expósito. Given the circumstances, the most entertaining aspect of the first half ended up being counting fouls – 17 in 45 minutes – and chatting with the stoic Kike García while the Espanyol doctors treated a scratch from Aqbar.

Apparently, the break didn't allow Manolo González and Bordalás to change anything. The players themselves continued as before after the restart. But something began to stir among those present, especially on the Espanyol side. In the 47th minute, Expósito forced an excellent save from Soria; and in the 52nd, Cabrera put Espanyol ahead with an unstoppable header from a corner. The Uruguayan, formerly of Getafe, didn't celebrate his second goal of the season, a goal that would ultimately be enough to secure three golden points. Trailing on the scoreboard, in the blue ones They got impatient. Bordalás switched from a five-man defense to packing the field with forwards and attacking midfielders, but Espanyol weren't fazed by a reaction that was more noisy than effective. They sat back to protect their lead and run down the clock. The Pericos won't be getting picky now, after so many years of suffering.