The expulsion of Pacheco in the 19th minute marked the future of the match in a poor performance by Alavés who has managed to make not a single shot on goal. As a data, Espanyol did not complete a league match without receiving any shots on goal since April 2017, precisely against the team from Vitoria. He endured what Garitano's box could, but Bernardo's goal in the first half discount sentenced the clash. At the start of the second half, local tranquility came with Wu Lei's goal, that of the final 2-0. Alavés did not have the ability to react, and he did not give any work to the debutant Oier in the second half. Important victory for Espanyol that next Tuesday will visit Getafe. Alavés, meanwhile, will try to make up on Thursday against their fans in the Basque derby against Real Sociedad. We said goodbye after having narrated everything that happened in this meeting, soon.
Espanyol scores three gold points on the return leg of the competition thanks to goals from Bernardo and Wu Lei.
With this victory, Espanyol will reach the penultimate, Leganés, both with 23 points. It is a first step in this hopeful return to the competition of those of Abelardo Fernández who still have 10 finals ahead.
Borja Sainz's foul on Didac Vila when the 90th minute is played at RCDE Stadium, adds four more the referee.
Sorry Darder! Good move by Raúl de Tomás who hurries to the goal of Roberto Jiménez and puts it to Darder who with everything in favor sends it out.
Calleri has seen the yellow card, the referee understood that it was taking a long time to leave the field of play in the change.
Double change in the parakeet set, David López leaves and Ander Iturraspe enters. And Jonathan Calleri retires to leave his place to Facundo Ferreyra.
Abelardo Fernández prepares a double change in five minutes to reach 90.
Last change at Alavés, Víctor Camarasa retires from the field and Borja Sainz enters it.
Few actions in this second half of a game that has been finalized as soon as it was resumed with the goal of Wu Lei that was 2-0, carousel of changes and few dangerous plays of an Espanyol satisfied with the result and an Alavés who has been a wanting and not being able to with one less.
Last ten minutes of the game plus what the referee adds with the crash practically sentenced.
Now it is Burke who sees the yellow card.
Bernardo Espina cuts before the arrival of Burke and is a corner kick in favor of the visitors, the first they have in this match.
Change at Espanyol, Melendo leaves and Ezequiel Vargas enters.
Pause for hydration in this second half when there is a quarter of an hour left for the regulation time in the match. Espanyol getting closer to taking the victory.
Yellow card to Raúl de Tomás.
Rubén Duarte arrives but Oier anticipates to get the ball. The scant approximations of the Asier Garitano group today are very timid.
Not a single shot on goal for Alavés throughout the match, compared to the eight that Espanyol has made. Oier has not had a job, which debuted in Espanyol's goal today.
Bernardo Espinosa's header that goes to the left of Roberto Jiménez.
Yellow card for Luis Rioja for a foul on Javi López.
The spirits have calmed down with Espanyol's two goals ahead and Alavés is not capable of generating any danger before the opposite goal.
Alavés has not had his day in the return of LaLiga after these months of pause, he arrived as we said with the absences of Manu García, Lucas Pérez and Joselu and today he has suffered the expulsion of Pacheco.
Change in Alavés, Rodrigo Ely leaves and Tomás Pina enters.
The meeting for Abelardo's team has gone very well with the two goals that allow him to get the victory on track, three gold points for a team that must try to add as many as possible in the next few days to continue their fight.
Fourth change in the whole of Vitoria, Fejsa leaves and Luis Rioja enters.
Yellow card to Laguardia for a foul on Calleri.
Double change at Espanyol, Wu Lei leaves and Raúl de Tomás enters the field. And Adrián Embarba leaves, leaving his post to Sergi Darder.
Abelardo Fernández is already preparing his first changes, it seems that they will be two at a time.
GOOOL ESPANYOL 2 – Alavés 0. Good pass by Embarba that leaves Wu Lei alone against Roberto Jiménez and beats him to bring the second local goal to the scoreboard.
A change in Alavés at the break, Aleix Vidal leaves and Pere Pons enters.
Start the second period at RCDE Stadium.
The first half ended with Espanyol's minimal advantage, which had to be used thoroughly to open his scoring despite playing for many minutes with one more man after Pacheco's expulsion. Bernardo has achieved 1-0 in the added.
Alavés could not contain any more the insistence of his opponent and ended up fitting the first goal of the match in the extension of the first half.
GOAL OF ESPANYOL. Center from the left of Adrián Embarba who heads to the bottom of the net Bernardo Espinosa to open the scoring.
The best thing that can happen to Alavés is that the intermission comes as soon as possible because in the last few minutes his rival is coming with more and more danger to his goal. At the moment the marker does not move at RCDE Stadium.
The referee adds five minutes to this first half in which the regulatory time has already been met.
The goal was saved by Alavés after a header by Bernardo but the action was invalidated for offside.
Aleix Vidal was injured in an action with Calleri, both hit the ball at the same time and the Alavés player was injured.
At the moment the goal Roberto Jiménez is showing himself to be very safe in what is his first encounter with Alavés. His last appearance in the top flight had been in the 2017/18 season with Málaga.
Once again exceptional Roberto Jiménez! Again two consecutive interventions of the goal of Alavés, first in a shot from Didac and then saving a Chilean from Embarba.
A long shot by Embarba, now with the right leg, which is lost far from Roberto Jiménez's goal.
Wu Lei's free kick on Rodrigo Ely, the Alavés player arrived earlier and the Chinese has blocked him inside the area.
Espanyol have had a couple of arrivals, especially the last one with the two shots of Wu Lei, but Alavés is currently accusing the blow received by the expulsion of Pacheco.
Hydration pause when the first half hour of play has been completed. Players head to the gang to drink water.
Double chance for Wu Lei! Roberto Jiménez stops twice to avoid the first goal of the match.
Lack that Aleix Vidal throws from the left side but nobody gets to touch it and he loses out of the goal defended by Oier.
The Espanyol player sees the yellow card for touching the ball with his hand.
GOAL CANCELED TO ESPANYOL. Wu Lei scores but has done it with his arm and the referee invalidates the action.
Alavés had a very difficult match with the expulsion of Pacheco, there are many minutes ahead and Garitano's men will have to play with one less man.
Adrián Embarba takes the free-kick from the edge of the box but the ball goes over the goal after hitting his teammate David López on the back.
First change of the match, Edgar Méndez leaves in Alavés and goalkeeper Roberto Jiménez enters the field.
Roberto Jiménez is already preparing to enter the field of play and get under the sticks. Forced change for Asier Garitano who was lamenting in the band of the expulsion of Pacheco.
EXPELLED PACHECO. The Alavés goalkeeper has left the area to save the ball before the arrival of Wu Lei and has seen the red card. Clamorous failure of the goal of the Vitorian team that leaves his team in numerical inferiority.
Very long ball that Adrián Embarba does not reach. Quite a few inaccuracies when the first quarter of the game is over. Melendo returns to the field of play, which had to be attended by a collision with Laguardia
Edgar Méndez has fallen on the edge of the area between Javi López and Cabrera and Alavés claims a foul that is not indicated by the referee. First controversial move that ends in nothing.
Aleix Vidal recovers the ball for Alavés but he lacks David López. At the moment few approaches except the initial of Jonathan Calleri who could not specify with an auction.
The man who was a shaker for Espanyol since his arrival in the winter market, Raúl de Tomás, today awaits his opportunity on the bench because he had some discomfort during the week, as we said. It is a key piece for Abelardo's men to fight for permanence because it has brought goals to the parakeet.
Lacking on Melendo, many interruptions in this initial phase of the shock although he immediately recovers the box from Vitoria trying to leave for the opposite goal.
Adrián Embarba sees the first yellow card of the game for a foul from behind on Camarasa.
Lateral foul in favor of Espanyol, is put into play by Embarba and clears the defense inside the area. For the most incisive moment, Abelardo's team in these early stages of the meeting.
Pacheco struggles for the ball before Calleri's arrival in his area.
The ball is already rolling at the RCDE Stadium.
At the beginning of March, when the pandemic approached our lives, Espanyol faced three possible scenarios: that the championship would continue with the bad dynamics that the team was going through, that the classification would be closed just as it had arrived on the day 27 or that, after a prudent and indefinite wait, the tournament would be resumed and ended. The first two had high chances of finding the team in Second. The third was, without a doubt, the option that gave the parakeets the most hope, which today begins their particular Tourmalet, with eleven games ahead to cut the six points that separate them from salvation. The first rival is an Alavés who still has to secure his place in the First Division, although he has a comfortable seven-point advantage over the burning. The first temptation is to think that the parakeets will accuse the absence of their public, but the truth is that they had only won one of their first 13 matches at the RCDE Stadium. All in all, the war to continue in the elite begins from the first stake. Do not miss it!