Luuk de Jong prevents Barça’s derby defeat at Espanyol with an equalizer in 96th minute Foreign football

Due to the late equalizer, Barcelona also takes fourth place from Atlético Madrid, which already lost 4-2 at the Camp Nou a week earlier. Both clubs are on 39 points after 23 matches, but Barca have a slightly better goal difference: +11 to +9. The teams of Xavi and Diego Simeone are still eleven points behind leaders Real Madrid, but now have number three Real Betis (43 points after 24 matches) in their sights.

Luuk de Jong was already important as a base force at the beginning of January with his goals against Real Mallorca (0-1 win) and Granada (late 1-1), but after the arrival of Ferran Torres, Adama Traoré and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the winter transfer market the 31-year-old striker must now show himself again as a pinchhitter. Tonight he immediately proved his worth for Xavi.

Espanyol last won against Barcelona on February 21, 2009, when they won 1-2 at Camp Nou with two goals from Iván de la Peña. The last derby win at home even dates from January 13, 2007, when it was 3-1 in the old Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Montjuïc.

Tonight it finally seemed to happen for Espanyol, but Luuk de Jong prevented a party for the 25,000 fanatical fans of Espanyol. Tonny Vilhena played an excellent midfield game at Espanyol, having scored within three minutes of his starting debut against Athletic Bilbao last Monday. The former Feyenoord midfielder, who is rented by Espanyol from FK Krasnodar, was shown a yellow card after an hour of play and was replaced shortly afterwards. Frenkie de Jong was relieved by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 62nd minute. With that substitution, Xavi switched from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3, but two minutes later his team fell behind and had to chase.

FC Barcelona took the lead tonight after 74 seconds at the RCDE Stadium, after Pedri scored at the far post on a pass from left back Jordi Alba. Five minutes before half time, Espanyol playmaker Sergi Darder beautifully shot in the 1-1 from the edge of the penalty area.

Raúl de Tomás made the 2-1 on behalf of Espanyol in the 64th minute, after which the home club hoped for more than half an hour for a first derby win in thirteen years. That seemed to come, until the 97th minute. Espanyol remains thirteenth in La Liga for the time being, eight points above the relegation zone.

Barcelona will play against Napoli in Camp Nou on Thursday evening (6.45 pm), the first of two matches for a place in the eighth finals of the Europa League. Next Sunday, Xavi’s team awaits the away match at Valencia. Gerard Pique will not be in the game, after he took a red card in the 92nd minute. Ronald Araújo was replaced at halftime by Eric García after suffering a calf injury.

Xavi also could not have Dani Alves (38) and Memphis Depay tonight, who had to watch from home on his 28th birthday with a muscle injury. He was still the match winner in the derby at Camp Nou on 20 November, when he made the winning 1-0 from a penalty shortly after half-time. It is not yet clear whether Memphis will be available for the duels with Napoli and Valencia.