The curse of Mendizorroza for Espanyol

A priori, Mendizorroza should not be one of the most cursed stadiums for Espanyol. Alavés is also historical, having competed in the First Division in different decades, even in the 1930s, but with just one click the numbers reflect another reality. Of the 15 games in the highest category that the blue and white team has played there, they were only able to win one of them. It happened in the 2016-17 campaign with both Gerard Moreno and the debut of Óscar Melendo.

For the youth squad, now on everyone’s lips due to his more than complicated renewal, that match was a sweet debut, the beginning of a six-year period in the first team in which he has experienced everything, especially a lot of discontinuity, like this campaign . But that meeting was the only one of a curse that began in the 1930-31 campaign, when the locals put a 4-1 those trained at that time by the legendary Patricio Caicedo.

In recent history, the blue and white team has been close to repeating victory. In the 2019-20 campaign, that of relegation, David Gallego added a point in a match that could have gone either way. Also Joan Francesc Ferrer, Rubi, was able to add the victory in his brilliant start but the Blue and Whites were allowed to come back in just two minutes. They went from 0-1 to 2-1 and fell on matchday 3 of the championship. But the most insane moment was the second season of Quique Sánchez Flores.

In the 38th minute of the game, Mario Hermoso was sent off for jumping aggressively against an opponent. Espanyol, who kept their pulse on the match, finally fell in the 78th minute with a goal from Christian Santos. And, in the subsequent press conference, Quique Sánchez Flores was expeditious with Hermoso. “When you already have a card for a similar action, repeating it is not a good decision. He has been naive”. Despite this, the player returned to the starting lineup when he served the penalty game.

The game of the 2005-06 season was also dramatic, although with a margin ahead. Played in October, both Alavés and Espanyol were in the relegation zone and had not yet started. The 1-1 reflected what was going to happen months later. The parakeet team, coached by Miguel Ángel Lotina, was saved in the 93rd minute of the last day by winning 1-0 against Real Sociedad with a goal from Ferrad Corominas. On the rebound, he sent Alavés to the Second Division.