Espanyol proves there was life after Joan Garcia

BarcelonaA hard-fought – and at times undeserved – victory for Espanyol against Sevilla at the RCDE Stadium (2-1). Manolo González's men secured a crucial win against a direct rival in the fight for European qualification. This victory gives the Barcelona-based side a four-point cushion over seventh place, the first position that doesn't guarantee a European spot. These are days of jubilation for the Espanyol fans, who were reminded of the importance of having a goalkeeper who can decide matches.

Espanyol ended the night feeling they made the right decision in replacing Joan Garcia. Marko Dmitrovic, a veteran signed on a free transfer this summer, kept his team in the game with a series of saves against an opponent that grew into the match, especially in the first half. The Balkan goalkeeper made a total of four crucial interventions to prevent the Andalusians from taking the lead. He flew across the goal with his outstretched hand to prevent a goal from an Akor Adams shot that was heading for the top corner, reacted to a ball deflected by Vargas just inches from the line, went to ground to thwart an attempt by Suazo, and repeated the feat with a point-blank save from Adams. Many miracles to save an Espanyol side that only showed bite during the first 15 minutes and who lamented Pere Milla's failure to set up Terrats when both were through on goal against Vlachodimos. The Lleida native, selfishly, shot straight at the Greek goalkeeper.

But football always offers second chances. And Milla, who went into halftime dejected after squandering Espanyol's clearest opportunity in the first half, had the great fortune – and the talent – to shake things up at the start of the second half in his team's favor. In the 48th minute, while the 25,000-plus fans at Cornellà-El Prat were still chewing their sandwiches, he capitalized on an excellent cross from Dolan to make it 1-0 with a well-placed header, at mid-height, inside the near post, leaving Vlachodimos rooted to the spot. Espanyol didn't deserve the lead, but this year they've become accustomed to not having to sweat for every goal as if it were their last. This season, the Blanquiazules can pick up three points at a time even when the opponent dominates them for long stretches. In fact, after going 1-0 up, they failed to convert their joy into control of the game.

On the contrary: Manolo González's men sat deep in their own half and focused on closing down gaps to prevent Sevilla, who besides losing also suffered muscle injuries to Januzaj and Vargas, from getting anything positive out of the game. In the final stages, there was time for another great run from Dmitrovic, this time to thwart a powerful shot from Alfon from the edge of the box, but above all for Roberto, who came on as a substitute, to capitalize on a gift from Sevilla in their own half and score a truly spectacular goal. Marcao's goal to make it 2-1 was merely a consolation in the final minutes.