Espanyol draws 1-1 with Sevilla in injury time after a goal from Marcos Fernández

Espanyol signed a last-gasp tie that tastes like a little and a lot at the same time. Marcos Fernández, who entered the field in the 58th minute, scored in the 98th minute the final 1-1 that avoided a defeat that could be seen coming at the RCDE Stadium against a Sevilla that had resisted with one less since the first hour of the match.

The first half had left few clear chances despite the high pace: a deflected shot by Calatrava in the 28th minute, another by Dolan near the break and an attempt by Ejuke that ended in a corner were the highlights before going to the locker room with a goalless tie.

The Andalusian team was left with ten in the 55th minute when Arouna Sangante brought down Roberto when the parakeet striker was heading towards goal alone. The referee did not hesitate to show him a straight red card for being the last man.

With numerical superiority on their side, Espanyol seemed to find a reward shortly after. In the 61st minute, Omar el Hilali took advantage of a rebound after a cross cleared by Vlachodimos to launch a cross whip that slipped into the Sevilla goal. The RCDE Stadium erupted, but the joy was short-lived: the VAR reviewed the play and the referee annulled the goal for offside at the time of the shot.

Sevilla, far from shrinking, responded with an almost immediate counterattack. In the 66th minute, Stassin stood alone against Dmitrovic after a one-on-one match, but the parakeet goalkeeper resolved it with a good stretch. It was just a warning.

The Sevilla coach, Luis García Plaza, had refreshed the attack with the entry of Stassin and Fofana in the 53rd minute, replacing Ure and Kochorashvili. The change was providential: in the 84th minute, a prolonged throw-in with a header by a local defender fell in an unbeatable way for the Belgian, who without thinking connected an impossible half-volley that left the RCDE Stadium frozen. Stassin, debutant with the Sevilla shirt, became an unexpected hero in his debut.

Espanyol, for its part, moved the bench looking for a tie: Urko and Fernández, Zaragoza and, in the final minutes, Riedel and Hartman entered. The final siege bordered on drama for the Sevillistas: in the 94th minute, Vlachodimos avoided the tie with a double save, first to Fernández and then to Zaragoza, in the most important intervention of the match.

But the Greek goalkeeper could not avoid the inevitable. In the 98th minute, a cross found the head of Marcos Fernández, who hit the ball against the crossbar. The rebound, however, fell to him again, who finished off for the second time, crossing the ball so that Vlachodimos did not reach it. The goal restored the tie to a Espanyol team that had dominated the game without a reward for more than half an hour with numerical superiority.

The result leaves Espanyol with the feeling of having wasted a lead of more than half an hour, although they escape defeat in stoppage time. For Sevilla, a point of merit snatched with their nails thanks to a great goal from a debutant.