Signings are missing. There are injured starters like Javi Puado and Pedrosa. The future of Raúl de Tomás continues to fly over the planning of the squad. Espanyol is in the construction phase, with many aspects to be resolved in the offices and coach Diego Martínez's project is still at its dawn, but in the debut in the League in Balaídos against Celta it was seen that something had changed in the team. The parakeets showed personality, the ability to react to an unfair result and finally football smiled at them with a draw near the final whistle. Joselu did not weigh the responsibility or his Celtiña past to convert the penalty that was the first point of the season (2-2).
Like the good students who do their summer homework, the blue and whites, this Saturday in pink, arrived at the first day of the course with the lesson learned. Unlike the previous visit to the land of Vigo, where they were irremediably subdued (they lost 3-1), this time they captured the premises of their new coach from the start. Courageous, with a very advanced pressure, they lived installed in the first minutes in the opposite field, the sky-blue handcuffed before the good positioning of the Catalans.
Those of Chacho Coudet, with plenty of players to get the ball, were unable to cross the midfield, all paths closed by pink shirts. The locals were looking for Fran Beltrán, the link between the defense and midfield, but Sergi Darder advanced his position to prevent him from receiving. Struggling without the ball, the Spaniard was also the author of his team's best chance in the opening 45 minutes with a powerful shot from outside the area that hit the post.
Little by little, Celta got rid of the rival intensity, although without an offensive presence. The game was falling into no man's land, both teams unable to shoot between the three sticks. The plays faded in three quarters of the field, in some cases harshly, like the two fouls Melamed received, one from Aidoo and the other from Solari.
The first half died until, in stoppage time, the people from Vigo used their wild card, their ace in the hole, a fireproof Aspas who for the eighth season in a row is the star and something else of his team. Celta had not clearly braided a play until Óscar Rodríguez put the ball into the area, Solari combed it back and 'the prince of the bats', faster at 35 years of age than Cabrera, connected in extremis a ball without power but with placement that surprised Lecomte.
The goal took its toll on Espanyol, who were no longer intimidating with their pressure and allowed the Celestes to take control of the game at the start of the second half, much more comfortable in the movement of the ball. Martínez tried to react from the bench with the entry of debutant Edu Expósito and Embarba, but the double offensive change ran into Celtiña's second goal, the work of the signing Paciência after overcoming Cabrera. The Uruguayan defender and Lecomte, who could have done more with the Portuguese's header, appeared again in the photo.
The parakeet players did not explain the marker. Darder and Óscar Gil exchanged opinions in search of solutions. They had gotten grades in most subjects, except in the most important: the goal. De Tomás was missed. Without the man from Madrid, Espanyol still does not know victory.
With Joselu unassisted, the Blue and Whites found relief in the arrivals from the second line and in a poor clearance by Aidoo. Rubén Sánchez crossed from the right and the center-back left the ball dead on the edge, where Expósito displayed one of his virtues with a shot that beat Marchesín. Grown up, the midfielder from Cubelles was close to scoring the goal of the season on the first matchday with a shot from midfield that went close to the crossbar, like the one that Loren did hit last year at Balaídos.
Espanyol regained faith, continuing to percuss while Celta bailed out water and waited for the final whistle. He accumulated players in the area in search of tables, but the prize came thanks to a recklessness of Mingueza. The former Barcelona player, who had been on the field for just a few minutes, gave Joselu an unnecessary kick inside the area. Through VAR, the referee signaled the eleven meters and the striker saved a well-deserved point, perhaps the first for a new and better Espanyol, although there are still many aspects to polish.
RC Celta de Vigo: Marchesín; Hugo Mallo, Aidoo, Unai Núñez; Beltrán Solari (Tapia, min. 46), Cervi (Mingueza, min. 91), Óscar Rodríguez (Gabri Veiga, min. 84); Patience (Carles Pérez, min. 69), Aspas
Spanish RCD: Lecomte; Óscar Gil, Sergi Gómez, Cabrera, Oliván; Calero (Edu Expósito, min. 56), Vini Souza (Nabil, min. 88), Darder; Nico (Embarba, min. 56), Rubén (Koleosho, min. 80), Joselu
Goals: 1-0 Iago Aspas (min. 45 2); 2-0 Patience (min. 62); 2-1 Edu Expóstio (min. 71); 2-2 Joselu, from a penalty (min. 97)
Referee: Ortiz Arias (Madrid school). He admonished Hugo Mallo (min. 15), Aidoo (min. 36), Aspas (min. 80), Javi Galán (min. 91) and Marchesín (min. 97) by Celta; to Vini Souza (min. 60) and Óscar Gil (min. 90) by Espanyol
Incidents: Match corresponding to the first day of LaLiga Santander played at the Abanca Balaídos stadium before 13,859 spectators.
