Stassin and the VAR water down Manolo's one hundred matches

Cornellà de LlobregatSince March 17, 2024, the day Manolo González debuted on the blue-and-white bench, Espanyol has changed its president and owner, its sporting director –Garagarza, on leave, keeps the position, but his duties are performed by Monchi– and, even, its division. One of the few things that has not changed is, precisely, the coach. A Manolo who yesterday managed his 100th match in charge of the first team.

A huge milestone for a coach who had never trained in professional football and who has become an indispensable figure to understand the current Espanyol. Last night, Sevilla, who scored with a man down, and VAR spoiled the party for the Galician (1-1), who could not win on his centenary day. Fortunately, Marcos Fernández rescued the draw in the 98th minute. Even so, the parakeets have only added one of the last nine points at stake.

An Espanyol without fluidity

Calatrava and Javi Hernández were eager to dedicate a victory to the coach who gave them their First Division debut after two consecutive defeats. Both were the main catalysts for an electric start to the match, full of back-and-forth action but without clear chances; only a couple of long-range shots from the two young players from Barcelona. Cabrera, who was returning from suspension, and Moscardo, replacing Urko, earned a spot in a starting eleven that still did not include Bryan Zaragoza, the big signing of the summer. Without him, it was Dolan who faced the defense of a very physical Sevilla that matched the usual intensity of the 'periquitos' at home.

The Andalusian side, with the arguments to take the initiative, also felt comfortable against this new version of Espanyol, which wants to be more proactive with the ball. But wanting is one thing and being able to is another. Faced with the aggressiveness of Sevilla, the 'periquitos' lacked fluidity. Neither Unai Núñez nor Cabrera nor Moscardo, who are not fine stylists, were capable of providing balls to Expósito and the three attacking midfielders, almost as neglected as Roberto, an island who ran himself into the ground and got very few touches. Even some whistles were heard at the RCDE Stadium when the hosts started play from their own area. Mind you, at the back, Espanyol did not suffer at all, shielded by a pair of center-backs and a defensive midfielder who were extremely solid. The mistakes from Anoeta were not repeated in a dense first half with a lot of heat.

Expulsion and disallowed goal

Expósito, one of the players who most appreciates the new blue and white footballing paradigm, rebelled against the local apathy: with a sombrero flick and a through ball to Roberto, who was left alone in front of goalkeeper Odysseas, he provoked the controversial expulsion of Sangante, who brought down the Andalusian forward.

The action, a mirage in a very lackluster match from the 'periquitos', changed everything and just three minutes later, Omar El Hilali scored 1-0 with a powerful shot... which the referee disallowed, after consulting with the VAR, due to a more than dubious positional offside. Sevilla kept their opponent at bay, unable to do so against 11 and against 10, and took the lead with a great goal by Stassin. A tough situation for Manolo González, saved at the last second by a timely header from Marcos Fernández.