Espanyol came to complete a round season at the RCDE Stadium. But in Second Division and without an audience, because of the latter of the blessed pandemic. So the return to First was presented as an unknown in every way. And now the parakeet team can say, with its fans as flag bearers, that has passed the Cornellà test with flying colors. At least, against the top eight finishers of the championship. That is, among some of the most powerful teams on the soccer planet.
The point of this past Sunday before the Sevilla (1-1), that at times could even be a victory, puts the finishing touch not only to two consecutive draws against ‘giants’ by budget and competitiveness, after the 2-2 against Barcelona that occurred only seven days earlier, but also to a Tourmalet that has ended with only two defeats out of eight possible They left with the three points from the RCDE Stadium an Atlético de Madrid that scored the winning goal in the 99th minute after a shock more than even and a Betis that he was able to overcome a 1-0 draw to end up beating the Blue and Whites (1-4). In the rest of the clashes against the ‘Top-8’, Espanyol scored.
The prestigious victory against Real Madrid (2-1) of last October continues to appear as the greatest joy of the season for the parakeets, who also won a Royal Society (1-0) that at that time of the season he arrived with options to regain the lead if he beat Vicente Moreno’s men. And draws like that of Sevilla and Barça also started Espanyol against Villarreal (0-0) and Athletic Club (1-1).
The Top-8 at the RCDE Stadium
| Rival | Result |
| Real Madrid | 2-1 |
| Sevilla | 1-1 |
| Betis | 1-4 |
| Barcelona | 2-2 |
| Atletico Madrid | 1-2 |
| Villarreal | 0-0 |
| Real society | 1-0 |
| Athletic Club | 1-1 |
In total, against the rivals of the upper area, the parakeet team has added ten points out of 24 possible, the result of two wins, four draws and two losses. A baggage that, despite the poor start to 2022, is not far from the fortress that the RCDE Stadium has become before the rest of its opponents: victories against Granada (2-0), Cádiz (2-0), Alavés (1-0) and Levante (4-3), and a defeat against Elche (1-2) make up another 12 points out of 15before facing a final stretch in which direct rivals such as Osasuna, Celta, Rayo Vallecano, Valencia, Getafe and Mallorca will pass through Cornellà.