BarcelonaOne more matchday, Espanyol continues without a win. And now it’s 18, since December 22nd of last year. In Seville, in a life-or-death duel against a direct rival, they were close to achieving it (2-1), but at the last minute a goal by Castrín due to a defensive lapse by the blue-and-whites equalized Tyrhys Dolan’s 0-1 and frustrated the virtual permanence of the parakeets, who ended up falling, in a very cruel way, with a second goal in stoppage time from Adams. Two defensive errors leave Espanyol mortally wounded, with a bad dynamic of six points out of 54 with three matchdays left until the end, and with only two points above the relegation zone, which could send them back to the Second Division. The faces of the players and the coach, all desolate, confirm the extent of the tragedy.
Manolo González no longer knows what to do to lift the team. In Seville, he tried giving Rubén Sánchez a starting position, but neither he nor any of his teammates jumped onto the Sánchez-Pizjuán pitch, which became a hell due to the importance of the match for the locals, with the conviction to win. From the initial whistle, which was delayed ten minutes due to a problem with VAR, Sevilla, with more heart than head, came close to scoring.
If the white and blues, nervous and imprecise as is already usual, have survived the brilliant start of the locals, it is thanks to Marko Dmitrovic, who has prevented Isaac Romero’s goal with a reflex save. Serbián holy cards should be distributed in Cornellà-El Prat.
Espanyol has a problem with scoring
Sevilla has also been relying on the performances of their goalkeeper for months, a Vlachodimos who denied Edu Expósito the 0-1. It would have barely been the second goal for the ‘periquitos’ since the beginning of April, one of the main reasons for their crisis in results. The play was preceded by a very dangerous recovery by the midfielder from Cubelles, who shot directly into the hands of the Greek. It was the first approach from an Espanyol that, little by little, has gotten a grip on a match full of tension, tackles, and long balls; a final for survival no matter how you look at it, which could have been decided at the start of the second half.
The first ball that Alexis Sánchez, who replaced Romero at halftime, touched was a goal. But VAR disallowed it for a millimeter offside. Espanyol was lucky that the video arbitration had been fixed before the start. And minutes later, the miracle happened: Espanyol scored again. Roberto’s faith, who crossed a ball that was going out of bounds, served as an assist for Dolan, who took advantage of a mistake by the Sevilla defense to shoot down Vlachodimos. The Englishman did several somersaults and the entire bench jumped onto the field to celebrate. Manolo, aware that there was more than half an hour left in the match, didn’t even move.
The instruction from then on was clear: cool down the game and maintain the result no matter what, but this Espanyol is made of glass. And with ten minutes left, they conceded the equalizer due to a collective error that allowed center-back Castrín to enter the box and beat a not-so-sharp Marko Dmitrovic. Already in stoppage time, Adams definitively sank the ‘blanquiazules’ with a shot from the edge of the box after another mistake by the ‘blanquiazul’ defense.
Sevilla: Vlachodimos, Carmona, Castrín, Kike Salas (Juanlu, 64′), Suazo (Oso, 64′), Vargas, Gudelj, Agoumé (Sow, 58′), Ejuke, Maupay and Isaac (Alexis, 46′). Coach: Luis García Plaza.Espanyol: Dmitrovic, El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero (Salinas, 74′), Urko, Expósito, Rubén Sánchez (Pickel, 66′), Terrats (Jofre, 74′), Dolan and Roberto (Kike García, 83′). Coach: Manolo González.Goals: 0-1 Dolan (56′), 1-1 Castrín (82′) and Adams (90+1′).Referee: Javier Alberola (Castellanomanchego Committee).Yellow cards: Urko González (26′), Carmona (61′), Dolan (73′), Vargas (73′) and Sow (73′)Stadium: Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.