The last "hit" of the year for Manolo González's Espanyol

BarcelonaSan Mamés brought to a close one of the best years in Espanyol's history. 2025 began with the blue and white team... in the downhill zone And Manolo González's future hanging by a thread has ended with Espanyol in fifth place, close to the Champions League spots; with the Galician becoming one of the most sought-after coaches in La Liga; and with the Blanquiazules winning, including a comeback, in a Champions League stadium – "It would be great to pull off a thrashing in a stadium like this," Manolo said beforehand – fifteen days before hosting Joan Garcia's FC Barcelona, the league leaders. A year ago, the Espanyol hero was the goalkeeper from Sallent. Now it's the Serbian Marko Dmitrovic, who with two great saves from shots by Álex Berenguer and Andoni Gorosabel showed why Espanyol is one of the teams that concedes the fewest goals in La Liga. His saves and the determination of striker Roberto Fernández, who came close to scoring with a couple of improbable shots, marked the beginning of the final match of the 2025 competition, which began to turn when the Andalusian forward slipped in front of Unai Simón just before sending the ball into the net. He was left with a bitter taste in his mouth, and in the ensuing play, Berenguer scored the first goal. It had been 312 minutes since Espanyol had conceded a goal.

Goal of the day

This Espanyol side under Manolo González is a tough nut to crack, and not even the blow of conceding another goal just before halftime unscathed them. Quite the opposite. Five minutes later, while the visiting bench was still protesting a foul on Edu Expósito before the home side's goal, Carlos Romero made it 1-1 with a superb left-footed shot from outside the box. It was one of the goals of the day. And right after the break, Pere Milla turned the game around. The iconic player from Lleida, who was injured in the play that led to the 1-2, tapped in a delightful assist from the courageous Tyrhys Dolan to put the Blanquiazules closer to their fifth consecutive victory. Athletic, unable to break down Espanyol's organized and disciplined defense, left themselves exposed in search of an equalizer, and Jofre Carreras, Pere Milla's replacement, almost sealed the win with a low, driven shot that went narrowly wide. In any case, the Blue and Whites, without suffering too much, were able to maintain their lead and went on holiday with no less than 33 points in the bag. It will be the happiest Christmas in recent memory at Espanyol.