Barcelona Struggles but Still Gets Away with a Win Against Espanyol
It's officially a new year for Barcelona, as they face Espanyol in their first game of 2026. The Azulgranas were the guests at the RCDE Stadium on the 18th Matchday of La Liga. Barcelona has been having an amazing season; they have won 16 out of 19 matches, lost just two, and tied a single game. Unsurprisingly, they lead the Liga score chart with 51 goals. The Periquitos had only won 44 matches out of 218 against Barcelona, but their extraordinary performance this season indicated they were up for a fight against the league leaders. Fifth in the Liga standings, Espanyol is already rising as an unexpected contender. This game promised to be an interesting one.
A light rain fell over the players as the curtains opened to the first half of the game. A dominant Barcelona took control of the ball quickly, and a strategic Lamine Yamal made his presence felt early on. Far from resigning to Barcelona’s perceived supremacy, Espanyol took advantage of the Azulgrana’s lack of center-field focus to charge against the opponent, getting dangerously close to the goal. An absolutely horrendous head-butt took down players Eric García and Leandro Cabrera, dramatically pausing the game for a few instants. The first half ended tied at 0, proving that Espanyol was more than a worthy rival.
No bandages could stop Cabrera from heading back to the field in the second half. A more confident Espanyol did not wait to commence a merciless charge against Barcelona’s frontlines. A mistake by Roberto Fernández cost the Periquitos what could have been a historic goal against Barça. Everything made it look like it was going to be a tied match, until a fateful pass by Fermin Lopez to Dani Olmo marked the first goal of the game with just five minutes remaining. Espanyol’s damaged morale gave Barcelona another opening, allowing Robert Lewandowski to score the second goal of the day only four minutes after his teammate. No miracle could have helped Espanyol equalize the board.
What could have been a glorious game for an underdog of La Liga ended up further proving Barcelona’s superiority on the field. An excruciating match right up until the end, Espanyol made an impressive effort that made the Azulgranas wonder whether they would be able to score. Manolo Gonzalez’s efforts have not gone unnoticed; his team is still sitting fifth just below Atletico Madrid. It was not just another day in the office for Barcelona, their victory coming at a higher cost than expected. Fans can relish in the fact that matches are proving to be extremely interesting.
