Espanyol, in five frames

The breed of geniuses. Espanyol has always been a club of players, rarely of coaches. A team more of plays than game, that’s why they always dazzle the scorers or superclasses, the Solsona, De la Peña, Marañón or Tamudo. There is no doubt that Darder and RdT are of that lineage and in five frames they condensed their magicsimplified what Espanyol is, which with this victory is inexorably approaching a salvation that they have put on track especially thanks to a remarkable first lap (26 points) and a sprint in the last three days.

A magical goal. The first frame is that of Darder driving the ball, a quality that makes him vertical, he breaks lines like a knife, skilful with the ball attached to his foot. The second frame is perhaps the most important. It is not in the technique, but in the head. It’s the pause. The move was already created in thousandths of a second in the unconscious of Artà. He stopped to make way for the third frame. A pass into space at the right time for RdT to take advantage of his talent when he steps on the area. The striker profits from any advantage. In the fourth frame he controlled without losing speed towards the goal, he cooked the goal without additives, just to eat. And the fifth, that of his shot with the left to the long post, one more for an infallible striker.

Two heartfelt applause. Until that minute, near the break, the RCDE Stadium had experienced a game with little to eat. At the beginning, the rain surprised the 17,800 spectators who gave themselves up to a loud and well-deserved applause for the great gesture of the week at Espanyol, the Ukrainian families who have come to Barcelona on the Espanyol coach thanks also to the ‘Es per tu’ association. Undoubtedly a solidarity that defines a club whose feeling goes beyond what surrounds the green. There was heartfelt applause like that of the minute 21, which was also joined by Luis García Plaza and Matías Vargas, a luxury spectator.

The controversy well resolved. Surely both of them changed their pulse with the controversial move of the match, that infraction by Cabrera that went from being nothing according to the referee to doubting whether it was a penalty or a foul and the Uruguayan’s expulsion or, finally, Embarba’s foul at the beginning of the play, which was signaled. Espanyol got rid of a scare and competed in a disputed match, where the areas were barely stepped on and the battle was settled in the center of the field: the blue and whites were better in the swampy terrain.

Secondary actors. Even Embarba, who was returning to the team, ended up applauded, and Óscar Gil was outstanding. Even Oier, who replaced the limping Diego López, saved in the second half with two good interventions to make it 1-1. Unexpected secondary actors for a Espanyol that has been built with the goals of RdT and the quality of Darder, both well supervised by Vicente Moreno, who is already closer to fulfilling the objective entrusted by the club for the second consecutive season.