FC Barcelona bites its teeth at Real Madrid at the end of the football year. After a goal by Marcos Alonso, hopes of winning the wild derby are high. But it’s not just Joselu’s penalty that breaks the Catalans’ neck.
FC Barcelona with Robert Lewandowski missed the leap to the top of the table in the Spanish Primera División. In a wild city derby against Espanyol, the Catalans couldn’t get more than 1-1 (1-0) with many cards and are therefore behind their rival Real Madrid, who is now equal on points, because of the lost direct comparison.
Marcos Alonso headed Barça ahead in the seventh minute. After a foul by the defender, former Bundesliga pro Joselu (73′) equalized with a penalty and gave German national goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen no chance with a shot in the middle.
In a heated final phase, in which World Cup referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz was temporarily unable to keep track, Barça’s Jordi Alba saw the yellow-red card (78th). Two minutes later, Espanyol’s Vinicius Souza also had to leave the field with the second warning. Overall, Mateu Lahoz showed more than ten yellow cards.
Shortly before the end, Lewandowski had several chances to score the winning goal in Barcelona’s first competitive game after the World Cup in Qatar, but was unable to take advantage of any. The former Bayern striker was allowed to take part in the game at short notice. Lewandowski was actually banned for three games in November for allegedly disapproving of a referee’s decision, but this sanction was suspended on Friday.