Espanyol will celebrate 125 years in the First Division

BarcelonaEspanyol is in the First Division. And they will remain so next season despite suffering more than expected (2-0) to end up beating an already relegated Las Palmas. Puado and Pere Milla came to the rescue of the Blue and Whites with two late goals that served to break the deadlock in a match that was heading for tragedy. On an afternoon of suffering, Cornellà-El Prat went from nerves to final euphoria. Espanyol won the final to secure survival thanks mainly to two notable names, Joan Garcia and Puado. The goalkeeper and the striker, who will probably not stay next season, close out the season as the main architects of their survival. Both ended up being cheered by the Blue and White fans, who filled the RCDE Stadium pitch once the referee blew the final whistle. The goalkeeper, who hinted at his departure after the match, sent a message to the board: they need to invest more in reinforcements.

In a match that required managing both the emotional and footballing aspects equally, Espanyol came out onto the pitch in a state of nervousness, over-revving their energy. Their desire to attack and score from the outset took its toll on a team accustomed to approaching matches with patience. They tried to turn every ball they touched in the opposition's half into an almost solo, desperate dash toward the opposing goal. The Blue and Whites attacked with excessive impatience, without pause or composure, abusing long passes and rushed crosses, two ineffective resources against Las Palmas. Despite fielding a starting eleven riddled with injuries, the Canary Islanders, relaxed, played fairly comfortably, aware that they had nothing to lose. Diego Martínez's team took advantage of the Blue and Whites' nervousness to get close to Joan Garcia's goal with some danger, who had to intervene three times in the first half hour.

Espanyol, unrecognizable, couldn't find the footballing arguments to trouble their opponents. After five consecutive defeats that jeopardized their position in the standings, the team took a step backward. Instead of recovering the solid and reliable form of the beginning of the year, they had one of their worst first halves of the season. The main sin: neglecting the midfield. Without Expósito's foresight or Urko's through balls, Espanyol were unable to generate meaningful attacks. The nervousness and helplessness felt at Cornellà-El Prat grew as the transistors informed the stands of Leganés' goals, who did their homework in a quarter of an hour and went into the break with a three-goal lead against the also relegated Valladolid.

The whistles with which the crowd sent the team off at halftime were a wake-up call for a team that surely received a slap on the wrist from their manager as they left the locker room. They had to calm down some players frozen by nerves, who, however, still had salvation just a goal away. It didn't matter what happened at Butarque: all they had to do was score a goal against a Las Palmas side that had nothing to play for.

Joan and Puado tie the permanence

After the restart, Manolo González brought on Pere Milla to add more balance in attack. But the script of the match didn't change much. Espanyol, unable to make three consecutive passes in the opponent's half, continued to make things too easy for a Las Palmas side that, playing fairly calmly, came very close to opening the scoring with a shot from a narrow angle by Jaime Mata that Joan Garcia, the only salvageable player of the afternoon, sent out for a corner. The Canary Islands, who played with much more discretion, generated more danger than an Espanyol side that didn't seem to be playing for its life, despite playing virtually the entire second half as a Second Division team.

Manolo González continued looking for solutions on the bench until he found the key. A few minutes after coming on, Veliz, one of the disappointments of the season, appeared at the moment most needed to win a crucial penalty. At the most decisive moment of the season, the goal-scorer of the season appeared. Javi Puado, who already became the hero of the promotion for the two goals he scored against Oviedo in the second leg of the final play-off, once again unleashed euphoria at the RCDE Stadium by converting the penalty. It was the twelfth goal in this La Liga for the Barcelona native, who has earned the right to decide his future. Ten minutes from time, Pere Milla, another player who hasn't featured much this season, redeemed himself by scoring the goal that provided peace of mind. Two names that will be added to a list that already includes Pitus Prat, Kubala, Tamudo, and Coro. The heroes of Espanyol's most dramatic stays. The blue and whites will remain where they belong, which is none other than the First Division.