Barcelona suffers more than usual in the derby against Espanyol
Barcelona suffered much more than usual in the derby against Espanyol. They rescued a draw in the end to maintain their unbeaten record in the Spanish league and endured a waterlogged pitch due to incessant rain throughout the match. On top of that, they faced a rival who played aggressively more than once.
With the intention of not risking him in a year with a lot of activity, coach Ernesto Valverde did not include Lionel Messi in the starting lineup and only brought him on as a substitute in the 58th minute. It was with him on the field that the home team took the lead with a goal from Gerard Moreno.
Messi and one of his dives during the match against Espanyol. (Photo: AP)
The Flea tried to balance the game with his skills, within a Barcelona team that had a hard time finding the way to the opponent's goal this time. And it was through an unusual weapon for the Culé team that they achieved the final 1-1 draw: set pieces, thanks to a header from Gerard Piqué.
Piqué's goal, one of the enemies of the Espanyol fans, heated up a game that was already complicated. Sergio García didn't see the red card that his tackle on Umtiti deserved, and Gerard Moreno also contributed with a strong foul against Piqué.
Near the end, even Messi, a player known for being calm, got involved in a clash. It happened when he tried to separate defender Víctor Sánchez, who was grabbing his shirt, by using his arm and reacted with a kick. Both players faced off but the situation didn't escalate further: one of the clashes in a thrilling match.