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Espanyol let a key match slip away and survival is in danger
Tension is soaring around RCD Espanyol. The blue-and-white side lost 2–1 to Sevilla FC at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium and once again let decisive points slip away in the final minutes. The defeat keeps the Catalan side on the brink of relegation and heightens the sense of urgency among supporters, who see survival becoming more complicated with every matchday.
The match began under tension even before the opening whistle because of technical problems with VAR, in an atmosphere already charged with pressure. Sevilla dominated possession for much of the first half and forced Dmitrovic into action early, although Espanyol managed to hold out and respond before the break with a clear chance for Edu Expósito that forced Vlachodimos to make a fine save.
After the break, Manolo González’s side found its reward. In the 56th minute, Roberto sent a ball into the area and Dolan finished calmly to make it 0–1, a goal that made the Pericos believe in a vital victory to escape the bottom places. Shortly before, VAR had already disallowed an Alexis Sánchez goal for offside, keeping Espanyol alive.
But the ending struck hard again. Sevilla pressed in the closing stages and found an equaliser ten minutes before the end, when Castrín surprised Dmitrovic with a cross-shot. In stoppage time, Akor Adams completed the comeback after a move begun by Alexis, leaving Espanyol emotionally crushed and now on an eighteen-match winless run.
Concern is growing in Barcelona. The gap above the relegation zone is narrowing dangerously and the team faces the final matchdays in a climate of maximum tension, with the feeling that every mistake weighs more than ever. Supporters are beginning to do the maths and fear that the poor run could end up dragging the club into the Segunda División.
RCD Espanyol are not only playing for a division in this final stretch of the season. For thousands of Pericos supporters, the risk of relegation would be an emotional and economic blow that would affect the club and the surrounding environment that lives around it. Lower income, less visibility and a climate of frustration would once again shape everyday life in Cornellà and much of Barcelona, where Espanyol continues to represent its own identity and a different way of experiencing football. The concern can already be felt in the stands and on the streets, among supporters who fear having to start again from the bottom only a few years after the last relegation.