Barcelona's Dominance in the Catalan Derby: Triumph over Espanyol

FC Barcelona continued its impressive run against city rival Espanyol with a 3-1 victory in the Catalan derby. The main player of the match was Dani Olmo, who shone with two goals in the first half, while Raphinha sealed the win with another goal. With this success, Barcelona increased its lead over Real Madrid to nine points after Madrid's game in Valencia was canceled due to severe flooding. Meanwhile, Espanyol finds itself in a precarious situation—just one point above the relegation zone. Already in the previous week, Barcelona celebrated an impressive 4-0 victory against Real Madrid. In an otherwise flawless defensive performance, Javi Puado was allowed a consolation goal for Espanyol, who also had two close goals disallowed by the VAR. Dani Olmo expressed satisfaction with the win and the three points: "We are taking it step by step, the victory is important. Espanyol is always a strong opponent, but we fulfilled our task." Barcelona once again demonstrated its scoring ability, supported by creative combinations from the midfield and the attack. In the match, Barca dominated the proceedings from the beginning and almost scored early when Olmo's header narrowly missed the target. Shortly thereafter, 17-year-old Lamine Yamal skillfully set up Olmo, who scored the opening goal. After an impressive pass from Marc Casado, Raphinha increased the lead to 2-0. Espanyol experienced a rollercoaster of emotions after a supposed goal by Carreras was not recognized due to a tight offside position. Another VAR drama denied them the celebration once again. However, Espanyol did not give up, and Puado finally scored the 3-1 against the well-positioned Inaki Pena in the Catalans’ goal. Despite a less effective second half, Barcelona, especially after Olmo's substitution, was able to secure the victory. Espanyol's Puado aptly summed it up: "You have to play a perfect game to beat teams like Barcelona. Coming back from a 3-0 deficit is particularly hard.