Liga, Barcelona-Espanyol 1-1: blaugrana equal with Real

2023 will start paired at the top. Barcelona falls into the emotional trap of the derby, without responding in kind to Real Madrid’s victory. All a matter of nerves, after all, because the pitch expressed in no uncertain terms the Blaugrana domination over an Espanyol whose merits boil down to the ability to hang on to the game. The tension is already very high before the initial whistle for the Lewandowski case, whose three-match ban was suspended, and increases in the final due to the confusing direction of Mateu Lahoz, who loses control despite the usual rain of cards (13) . Marcos Alonso’s goal, the first in the league with Barça, seems to kick off the party, but then it’s the ex Chelsea who commits the penalty foul on Joselu, who takes care of the goal from the penalty spot.

THE MATCH

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Xavi does not give up on the Polish striker in his starting eleven, flanking him with Raphinha and Ansu Fati; green line in midfield with De Jong in the middle of Gavi and Pedri (Busquets on the bench), while Alonso is proposed again in central defence. Martinez, at least in the interpreters, opts for an offensive formation with Braithwaite, Darder and Melamed behind Joselu. However, Espanyol is nothing more than a sparring partner, Barcelona dominates far and wide as confirmed by 72% of ball possession in the first half. Yet, although the possibilities are not lacking, the Blaugrana only convert one of the several chances they had, in the opening match. From a rather dangerous sliding conclusion by Gavi, a corner kick was born: Lewandowski and Christensen headed each other into the area, Marcos Alonso burned Fernandez on the way out and signed the lead (7′). The following chances arise from the flag anyway. Thus it happens to Lewandowski in the 14th minute who fails to corner from a good position and it is also the same four minutes later when Jordi Alba is good at recovering a defiled ball and re-proposing it in the middle, less effective Marcos Alonso who hits badly under measure. Martinez’s team showed up only in the 34th minute, with Melamed looking for a right-footed shot, just wide after Sergi Roberto’s deflection: it was the visitors’ only shot. However, the last word before the interval comes from Barça and from Raphinha: from the edge he tries to surprise Fernandez, the goalkeeper pushes back awkwardly with his chest (37′).

THE RECOVERY

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Espanyol is very passive, but the first replacement is made by Xavi. Indeed, in the 51st minute Gavi was forced out due to a physical problem and gave way to the veteran Busquets. Barcelona loses intensity, despite changing the wingers with the additions of Ferran Torres and Dembélé. The offensive production is lower and is reduced to a more beautiful than accurate header by Lewandowski from the heart of the area. Thus, as often happens, the game that is not closed inevitably reopens. The key episode occurred in the 71st minute, when Joselu challenged the defence, lobbed past Christensen and then accidentally bumped into by Marcos Alonso. For Mateu Lahoz it was enough to award a penalty, which the attacker himself converted with a central conclusion. Tempers heat up and the referee puts his effort into it, in fact what happens from 78′ onwards is sensational: Jordi Alba receives his second yellow card in a few minutes, but it is the Espanyol players who remind the referee that he must be expelled. The game resumes and Mateu Lahoz draws two more red cards: Vinicius Souza stops Sergi Roberto’s percussion with a foul, Lewandowski is brought down on the lead with Cabrera who then hits him apparently involuntarily. Souza receives the second yellow, Cabrera the direct red which then an on-field review revokes. The finale with equal numbers finds Barça poured into attack: in the 87th minute Christensen forces Fernandez to make a sensational intervention, the goalkeeper also gets excited a few seconds later when he comes out on Lewandowski. Not enough for the three points and not even to recover the solitary primacy.