RCD Espanyol suffered a 2-1 away defeat to Real Sociedad in matchday three of LaLiga EA Sports, as reported by Marca. Goals from Ander Barrenetxea and Andri Guðjohnsen secured the win for the Basque side at the Reale Arena, a stadium where the pericos have struggled for several seasons.
How did the match start for Espanyol?
The start of the game was disastrous for Manolo González's side. After just four minutes, a loss of possession in their own build-up allowed Real Sociedad to take the lead through Barrenetxea. Espanyol struggled to create throughout the first half, hampered by mistakes in possession. Despite this, they managed to equalize before halftime thanks to a spectacular strike from Roberto Fernández, assisted by Javi Hernández, marking his third goal of the season.
Javi Hernández, meanwhile, has already notched three assists in the three official matches played so far. The academy graduate is making a notable impact in the top flight, showing no signs of struggling with the step up. This is one of the few positive takeaways for the blue-and-whites, who now sit in fourteenth place in the LaLiga standings.
What are the key squad insights?
The loss in San Sebastián contrasts with their solid performances at home. The team feels more comfortable at the RCDE Stadium, where they have earned their only points of the campaign so far. One pending task will be to improve their level away from home. For the next match, Manolo González will have a full squad available, according to the injuries list, giving him options to rotate.
Roberto Fernández is establishing himself as the team's top scorer in this early phase. His partnership with Javi Hernández is proving productive. Other players, like summer signing Omar El Hilali, are still searching for their best form to add more attacking threat. The full squad and their individual statistics are available on our stats page.
What's next for Espanyol?
RCD Espanyol's next fixture is at home. They will host Sevilla FC next Sunday, September 13th, at the RCDE Stadium in a LaLiga matchday four clash. All the details of the schedule can be found in the fixtures section.
Manolo González and his coaching staff have a week of work to correct defensive errors and improve their solidity on the road. The immediate objective is to get back to winning ways against a direct rival. The match against Sevilla is scheduled for a 6:30 PM kick-off, according to the competition's official programming.
