RCD Espanyol fell to a 2-1 defeat at Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday, their third loss in five La Liga matches. A disastrous start, conceding twice before halftime, and a last-minute red card defined a frustrating night for Manolo González's side.
The result leaves Espanyol in eighth place with 7 points, eight behind leaders Barcelona. The defeat halts the positive momentum gained from their win in Pamplona last week.
A Lethal Start
The match turned against the visitors from the third minute, when Álvaro García opened the scoring for the hosts. The nightmare continued in the 26th minute, with Adrià Pedrosa, assisted by García, extending the lead after a move that dismantled Espanyol's defence. Espanyol, with 46% possession, generated 19 shots but only five were on target.
Manolo González reacted with three changes at halftime, introducing Marcos Fernández, Bryan Zaragoza and Eduardo Expósito. The modification paid off nine minutes after the restart, when Roberto Fernández Jaén, the team's top scorer this season with five goals, pulled one back following a pass from Javi Hernández. The striker, who scored a brace against Osasuna, again demonstrated his scoring instinct.
Agonising Finish
Espanyol pressed for an equaliser, but the task became harder in the 98th minute when Omar El Hilali received a straight red card for handling the ball. The dismissal, the team's second booking after Marcos Fernández's yellow for a foul in the 63rd minute, ended any chance of a comeback in the final moments.
Manager Manolo González will have to analyse the defensive vulnerabilities shown early on and the lack of attacking efficiency, with goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović not required to make a single save throughout the match.
The next fixture is this Friday at the RCDE Stadium against Elche, who are bottom of the table. A key match to regain confidence and pick up three points again, as shown in the full schedule on our fixtures page. The defeat in Vallecas leaves Espanyol with a record of one win, one draw and three losses in their last five league games.
