Barcelona 1-0 RCD Espanyol: 5 talking points as the Blaugrana condemn their city rivals to relegation | La Liga 2019-20
Barcelona ended RCD Espanyol's 26-year stay in the Spanish top flight as they defeated their city rivals in a 1-0 win at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.
While both teams have had their share of problems in the ongoing season, this match- on paper- was supposed to be a battle between David and Goliath. Barcelona had just begun rediscovering their form over the past two games and Espanyol, on the other hand, were on a six-game winless streak.
Having said that, the game looked anything but straightforward as Espanyol, fighting for their survival, turned up the tempo against Barcelona and squeezed them till the very end in a valiant performance.
On that note, here are the five talking points from the game as top-flight mainstay Espanyol bid an emotional goodbye to La Liga Santander.
#1 Espanyol get relegated for the first time since 1993
RCD Espanyol are a club with a rich footballing history. Founded in 1900 by an engineering student from the University of Barcelona, Espanyol were one of the 10 founding members of the first La Liga, which was organised in 1929.
Espanyol were the first employers of Mauricio Pochettino, who took over the reins when the club were in the relegation zone in January 2009. The Argentine tactician went on to beat Pep Guardiola's Barcelona that season and helped the club finish 11th, six spots away from relegation.
This season, the team has struggled to score goals, amassing just 24 points from 35 matches. The dismissal of three managers in the ongoing campaign is a testimony to the turmoil that they have been suffering, and they will certainly look to rebuild in the Segunda Division next season.
With just three matches to go in La Liga, Espanyol bid an emotional farewell to top-flight football.
#2 Rakitic and Busquets together in midfield is a bad idea
Coming to the game, Espanyol dominated Barcelona in the first half as they played a low, narrow block and cramped their opponents for space at the centre of the pitch. Espanyol hurried two of the slowest players in the Barcelona shirt - Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets- and their tactics paid dividends as both players lost numerous balls in the build-up to the attack and failed to channel passes to the front three.
As a result, Barcelona were susceptible on the break and could easily have been 2-0 down at half-time, if not for some luck and the heroics of Marc Andre ter Stegen.
#3 Luis Suarez keeps scoring on his worst days
This has been the season for Luis Suarez. In days where his involvement could be counted on a single hand, El Pistolero turns up and delivers in a moment of individual brilliance.
He has bailed out Barcelona several times in La Liga and the Champions League this season and Wednesday was no different. Scoring the only goal of the game, Suarez moved up to the third spot in the all-time goalscorers list for the club, behind Cesar and Lionel Messi.
It is a longstanding complaint that Suarez offers very little in terms of pressing and linking up, which affects the overall game plan, but no questions have ever been raised about his heart or footballing intelligence.
Have a look at the goal here:
When an exquisite Antoine Griezmann backheel went to Lionel Messi, who took a first-time shot, Suarez was already on the run anticipating either another layoff or a ricochet. The split-second turned out to be the difference and Suarez was the first one to reach the ball. He slotted it past the keeper to score a goal that turned out to be the only difference between the two sides.
#4 Espanyol do not capitalise on their chances
This has been a script that Espanyol has repeated over and over again throughout the season. Against Real Madrid on June 29, Espanyol broke free into the opponent's box in the early minutes, but could not finish and ultimately lost the game 0-1.
Similarly, Espanyol broke free on Wednesday, courtesy of the Barcelona midfield and their fullbacks, who left acres of space to run into. In the 11th and 18th minute, Espanyol got clear cut chances in the Barcelona box which should have been scored. They then rattled the post after Marc Andre ter Stegen barely rescued Barcelona from an own goal situation in the 44th minute.
There were, therefore, three clear-cut chances that could easily have turned the results in Espanyol's favour on Wednesday.
#5 Red cards and VAR
It must have been one of the most bizarre couple of minutes in La Liga this season.
Quique Setien brought in Ansu Fati in the half time break to give Barcelona more attacking impetus on the wings. The change worked as the team looked more proactive going into a 4-2-3-1 with Rakitic and Busquets as a pivot.
However, thunder struck in the 50th minute when Ansu Fati, in his attempt to win the ball, took out Fernando Calero and was shown a yellow card. The referee, however, consulted the VAR and changed it to a red. In the process, Fati became the second-youngest player to have received a red card in La Liga.
Three minutes later, Pol Lozano, in an attempt to win the ball from Gerard Pique, horrible stomped on the defender's shin and was shown a yellow. The referee checked the VAR again and rightfully changed it to a red.
VAR's inconsistency would show up again when Clement Lenglet brushed his boot against the head of Víctor Gómez Perea. The Barcelona centre-back, however, did not receive a card for the challenge.