The 80's of Espanyol

Espanyol was heading towards its ninth victory in 12 days, at 29 points, to a peak and shovel success in Fuenlabrada when Sekou Gassama transformed, in the 86th minute, a penalty that put the final 1-1 on the scoreboard. That, more than adding a point, it seemed to subtract two from a parakeet that has only conceded three goals so far in the League, but that already begins to detect a weak point: the final sections.

Beyond minute 80 is when two of those three goals received have arrived by Diego López, specifically the two that have influenced the final result. And how. The one at the Fernando Torres stadium denied Espanyol the victory they had ensured with Raúl de Tomás' goal. On October 18, in Vallecas, Isi Palazón scored it in the 88th minute and it caused Vicente Moreno's men to leave empty against Rayo Vallecano, in the only defeat for the Blue and Whites in Second Division so far. Alone Iago Carrillo's goal for Lugo lacked significance on the scoreboard, probably because occurred in minute 33, with enough time to react.

It is curious that Espanyol has conceded 66 percent of his goals in the section of the match in which he is most protected. Both in Vallecas and Fuenlabrada, the parakeet seemed more willing to kill the game, to tuck in down, than to attack in those final minutes. But the data of the targets against is not a coincidence if the shots received are fragmented.

Espanyol has granted, in these first 12 days, only ten shots on goal in the first half of the matches, while in the second half the number was doubled: 21 shots between the three suits of Diego López. In attack, to get an idea, the number of kicks to the opponent's goal is much more equal: 24 in the first act and 23, in the second. In balancing all that defensive balance will lie excellence.