Leganés and Huesca Fight Back, Espanyol Surprise With Win

Plus, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Barcelona win.

Leganés Fight Back

Real Sociedad led 2-0 within 17 minutes but Leganés, perhaps inspired by the debut of their peculiar superhero cucumber mascot, fought back to earn a draw, 2-2. David Zurutuza got La Real off to a good start, tapping in a square ball, while Asier Illarramendi doubled the Basques’ lead with a great volley. Nabil El Zhar scored one for Leganés, after a pass from ex-Barcelona B midfielder Gerard Gumbau, with a driven shot to the corner on the bounce. Both sides had plenty of chances to score, but none did so until the 88th minute. Michael Santos hoisted a hopeful ball into the box, which fell fortuitously for El Zhar to chip the keeper and score the equalizer.

...And So Do Huesca

SD Huesca once again showed they were no pushovers, following up their first La Liga win ever with a comeback draw against Athletic Club Bilbao. Athletic put Huesca under siege in the opening stages, but they did not get the breakthrough until the start of the second half. Iñaki Williams laid off a pass for Markel Susaeta to smash past the keeper, putting the Basques in front. About 15 minutes later, Williams’s cutback skipped by its intended target but towards Yuri, who caught it well and doubled Athletic’s lead. An absolutely brilliant long shot by Jorge Miramón put Huesca back in the match, 1-2. But even that shot was nothing compared to what Ezequiel Ávila pulled off in the 87th minute. With his back to goal, Ávila controlled a pass with his right foot, swung around 180 degrees, and hit the ball with his left while it was in the air. His brilliant shot smashed past goalkeeper Unai Simón, for a final score of 2-2.

Espanyol Surprise With Win

Espanyol were not supposed to be any good, and some even tipped them for relegation. But they’re currently part of a glut of teams tied for third place in terms of points, with 4 each, thanks to a win against Valencia, who themselves are considered a candidate for the Champions League spots. Espanyol almost scored in the first half, but keeper Neto kept the ball just barely out for Valencia. Finally Espanyol did get the breakthrough, from a free-kick by Esteban Granero, which needed VAR to be confirmed as a goal. Borja Iglesias got the second for Espanyol as he hit the ball first time after Neto had won it off the feet of another attacker. Espanyol win 2-0.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid win 4-1 after going behind against Girona. Atlético Madrid with the Atléti special, 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano. Barcelona win, too, of course, 1-0 on a bouncy pitch against Real Valladolid. The big three with a perfect week..

Source: barcablaugranes.com