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LA LIGA MATCHDAY 23

vs.

RCD ESPANYOL 2:0 RAYO VALLECANO
RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)


Emmanuel Boateng scores off of a scramble in front.

SCORING:
5' - (ESP) - E. Boateng
54' - (ESP) - E. Granero

DISCIPLINE:
19' - (ESP) - P. Piatti (Yellow)
76' - (ESP) - M. Hermosa (Yellow)

2/9/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - Espanyol posted their second straight clean sheet on Saturday as they blanked Rayo Vallecano 2-nil at RCDE Stadium. Edu Frias, named the starter after the team dealt veteran Diego Lopez, has not allowed a goal since the move cementing his spot on the first-team sheet.

Espanyol got off to a quick start as Emmanuel Boateng scored after a wild scramble in the box in the fifth minute. They would get a couple more chances late in the opening half as Sergi Darder struck one over the cross bar in the 39th minute, and Leo Baptistao was stopped by Vallecano keeper Alberto in the 43rd minute.

Espanyol would extend their lead in the 54th minute. Carles Alena passed to Estaban Granero at the top of the box, he dribbled past a screen set by Pablo Piatti and left footed one into the top of the net. Sergi Darder sent Emmanuel Boateng in all alone with a beautiful through ball in the 87th minute, but Alberto was able to get a hand on Boateng's shot, sending it over the bar.

Carles Alena picked up Man of the Match honors for the fifth time this season.

Up next for Espanyol (10-5-8, 35 pts) is a trip to Valencia next Sunday afternoon as they will face Valencia CF (9-6-8, 33 pts).

Matchday 23 Results:
Atletico Madrid 0:3 Real Madrid
Alaves 0:1 Levante
Valencia CF 0:3 Real Sociedad
Athletic Bilbao 0:0 Barcelona
Leganes 1:2 Real Betis
Getafe 1:2 Celta Vigo
Sevilla 1:2 SD Eibar
Girona 1:1 Huesca
Real Valladolid 1:1 Villarreal CF

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LA LIGA MATCHDAY 24

vs.

VALENCIA CF 3:2 RCD ESPANYOL
Estadi de Mestalla (Capacity: 55,000)


Edu Frias and Espanyol looking dejected after losing in the closing moments.

SCORING:
25' - (ESP) - S. Darder
57' - (VAL) - G. Guedes
78' - (VAL) - D. Wass
85' - (ESP) - M. Roca
90' - (VAL) - K. Gameiro

DISCIPLINE:
29' - (ESP) - L. Lopez (Red)
34' - (ESP) - E. Granero (Yellow)
57' - (ESP) - L. Baptistao (Yellow)
75' - (ESP) - C. Alena (Yellow)

2/17/19
Valencia, ESP (AP) - Espanyol took an early lead, then went a man down and could not hold off the host Valencia CF on Sunday afternoon as they dropped a 3-2 decision at the Mestalla. Kevin Grameiro ran onto a long pass from Cristiano Piccini on a Valencia counter attack in the closing moments and blasted it past a helpless Edu Frias to give Valencia the well deserved 3-2 victory.

Espanyol grabbed the lead in the 25th minute. Pablo Piatti sent a cross into the box, that got cleared, but right to Estaban Granero. He sent a beautiful through ball to Sergi Darder right at the six yard box and he one timed it through the legs of Norberto Neto to give Espanyol the lead.

Just minutes later, a pivotal moment occurred as defender LLuis Lopez tackled Michy Batshuayi from behind at the top of the Espanyol box, and he was sent off. Valencia's Rodrigo would have a great chance to tie in the 40th minute, but his header grazed just over the bar.

Sergi Darder should have made it 2-nil just before halftime, but his crack from just inside the box hit the post and stayed out.

Valencia would finally unlock Espanyol after halftime. Rodrigo sent a perfect through ball that Goncalo Guedes ran onto and one-timed a left footed shot past Edu Frias to level the match. It was the first goal allowed by Espanyol in 292 minutes.

Playing down a man, Espanyol was packing it in defensively, but Valencia would find room again in the 78th minute. Daniel Wass dribbled through the midfield, made a nice move on Carles Alena to create space, then sent a cracker in off the bottom of the bar to put Valencia ahead 2-1.

Marc Roca would tie it just seven minutes later off of a great pass from defender Oscar Duarte. It appeared as though the match would end in a draw after Oscar Melndo sent a shot over the bar in injury time. But after another Espanyol attack, a turnover led to the deadly Valencia counter that Kevin Gramiero scored the match winner on.

Valencia CF (10-6-8, 36 pts) moved into seventh position, just ahead of Espanyol with the victory. They outshot Espanyol 16-6 and held a slight possession advantage 54-45%. Valencia won both matchups with Espanyol this season, winning earlier at RCDE Stadium 2-nil back in August.

Espanyol (10-5-9, 35 pts) heads home to take on SD Huesca (5-4-15, 19 pts), who currently sit in the 19th position, on Saturday.

Midweek:
Girona 1:1 Alaves
Legante 2:2 Huesca
Rayo Vallecano 0:0 Celta Vigo

Matchday 24 Results:
Barcelona 3:0 Real Valladolid
Celta Vigo 2:1 Levante
SD Eibar 0:2 Getafe
Real Madrid 2:0 Girona
Huesca 0:1 Athletic Bilbao
Rayo Vallecano 1:1 Atletico Madrid
Real Sociedad 4:0 Leganes
Real Betis 2:1 Alaves
Villarreal 1:1 Sevilla

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2018-19 EUROPA LEAGUE: ROUND OF 32



Round of 32 Results:
Girondins de Bordeaux 0:2 (2:2) Fenerbahce (Fenerbahce advances 4-3 on penalties)
Chelsea 4:0 (5:1) Moreirense FC
FC Porto 1:0 (2:2) Celtic (FC Porto advances on away goals)
Stade Rennaise 0:0 (1:1) AC Milan (Stade Rennais advances on away goals)
Sporting CP 2:1 (4:2) BSC Young Boys
Besiktas 1:0 (1:0) CSKA Moscow
Sevilla FC 2:2 (3:3) Dortmund (Dortmund advances on away goals)
Leverkusen 2:1 (3:2) SL Benfica
RB Leipzig 1:1 (2:3) Lazio
Villarreal CF 2:2 (4:4) Arsenal (Villarreal CF advances 5-4 on penalties)
Napoli 5:0 (5:2) SK Rapid Wien
Olympique Marsaille 1:0 (3:2) Slavia Praha
Spurs 1:2 (2:3) KRC Genk
Atalanta 3:0 (3:0) Akhisarspor
Olympiacis CFP 1:1 (3:2) Huddersfield Town
Olympique Lyon 1:0 (3:0) PAOK

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LA LIGA MATCHDAY 25

vs.

RCD ESPANYOL 1:1 SD HUESCA
RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)


Juan Camilo Hernandez cannot believe that he missed a chance late.

SCORING:
9' - (HUE) - S. Gurler
41' - (ESP) - L. Baptistao

DISCIPLINE:
20' - (ESP) - L. Baptistao (Yellow)
81' - (HUE) - C. Akapo (Yellow)

2/23/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol managed a 1-1 draw against lowly SD Huesca on Saturday evening at RCDE Stadium. Those two dropped points could loom large as Espanyol fights for a European spot with the season winding down. Leo Baptistao's goal in the 41st minute helped Espanyol salvage what would have been an embarassing loss to a team that sits squarely in the relegation zone.

Huesca came out and pressed Espanyol just like they did in their earlier meeting and it worked again. Samuele Longo headed one just over the bar off of a corner kick in the 7th minute for a great scoring opportunity. Just two minutes later it was Serdar Gurler who would put Huesca in front as he one-timed a perfect through ball from Juan Aguilera past Edu Frias.

In the 13th minute Estaban Granero had a glorious opportunity to level the match as he had space at the top of the box, but he leaned back just a touch and his shot sailed over the bar. Samuele Longo nearly put the visitors up by two in the 21st minute, but he volleyed one just wide of the left post.

Carles Alena sent a long ball into Emmanuel Boateng in the 31st minute. Boateng split the defense and got in all alone on Axel Werner, but the Huesca keeper came up with a huge save to keep the score 1-nil. Finally, in the 41st minute, Pablo Piatti would send a nice ball into Boateng in the box. He drew a defender and the keeper to the left and he passed to a wide open Leo Baptistao, who tapped it in to level the match.

Espanyol fans and players were going nuts in the 77th minute when Sean Maguire was tackled in the box, but the referee felt it was not a foul. Moments later on the counter attack Juan Camilo Hernandez hit one just wide of the Espanyol goal. Hernandez would volley a header over the bar just minutes later as Huesca applied the pressure.

Sean Maguire would get another opportunity in the 88th minute as he took a slick pass from Carles Alena, and got in alone on Werner, but the Huesca keeper came up big again with the stop to keep the match tied at 1-1. Oscar Duarte would save the match for Espayol in the dying moments as he cleared a ball off of the line that had gotten past Frias to preserve the point.

Espayol (10-6-9, 36 pts) would outshoot SD Huesca (5-5-15, 20 pts) by a 12-8 margin, and really held a big advantage in corners at 9-1, but could not find a winner. Espanyol will host Real Valladolid (6-8-11, 26 pts) next Sunday.

Midweek:
Levante 1:2 Getafe
Girona 1:1 FC Barcelona

Matchday 25 Results:
Alaves 0:1 Celta Vigo
Athletic Bilbao 1:0 SD Eibar
Levante 0:2 Real Madrid
Getafe 1:1 Rayo Vallecano
Girona 0:1 Real Sociedad
Sevilla 0:3 FC Barcelona
Atletico Madrid 3:1 Villarreal CF
Real Valladolid 0:1 Real Betis

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2018-19 EUROPA LEAGUE: ROUND OF 16 DRAW



Round of 16 Draw:
Fenerbahce vs. Napoli
Besiktas vs. Stade Rennais
Atalanta vs. Leverkusen
Sporting CP vs. FC Porto
Olympiacos CFP vs. KRC Genk
Dortmund vs. Olympique Marsaille
Villarreal CF vs. Lazio
Olympique Lyon vs. Chelsea

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COPA DE ESPANA: SEMIFINALS



SEMIFINAL Results:
Valencia CF 2:0 (5:2) Getafe CF
FC Barcelona 2:0 (4:0) Real Madrid

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LA LIGA MATCHDAY 26

vs.

RCD ESPANYOL 1:0 REAL VALLADOLID
RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)


Sean Maguire scores the only goal of the match in the 17th minute.

SCORING:
17' - (ESP) - S. Maguire

DISCIPLINE:
52' - (ESP) - E. Granero (Yellow)
90' - (ESP) - O. Melendo (Yellow)

3/3/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - It wasn't pretty, but Espanyol earned full points on Sunday afternoon as they held off a fiesty Real Valladolid 1-nil at RCDE Stadium. Sean Maguire, the man of the match, scored the lone goal as he put in his own rebound in the 17th minute to provide all of the scoring.

Real Valladolid played the same attacking, smothering style that they have played all season and it frustrated Espanyol the entire match. It was tough to pass and keep possession, something that Espanyol usually dominates in matches.

Neither team had many chances after Maguire's goal in the 17th minute. Valledolid's best opportunity came in the 39th minute when Enes Unal hit the far post.

The second half was more of the same, plenty of scattered play in the midfield with neither team holding possession for very long. Pablo Piatti sent a nice pass into Sean Maguire that he knocked over the bar in the 59th minute.

Real Valladolid (6-8-12, 26 pts) had a chance to equalize late after a foul against Espanyol. Enes Unal sent in the long free kick that Kiko Olivas headed off of the woodwork.

The win capped a double for Espanyol (11-6-9, 39 pts) over Real Valledolid. They won in Valladolid back on October 27th by a similar 1-nil score.

Sean Maguire was your Man of the Match with seven shots, three on target, and the lone goal.

Up next is a trip to Bilbao to take on Athletic Club (7-7-12, 28 pts) who currently sit in 13th place in La Liga.

Matchday 26 Results:
Real Betis 2:1 Getafe
Valencia CF 1:0 Athletic Bilbao
Real Sociedad 1:2 Atletico Madrid
Leganes 1:2 Levante
Real Madrid 2:1 FC Barcelona
Villarreal CF 2:1 Alaves
Huesca 2:! Sevilla
SD Eibar 1:1 Celta Vigo
Rayo Vallecano 0:0 Girona

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LA LIGA: FEBRUARY POTM



Barcelona, ESP (AP) - RCD Espanyol and the La Liga Player of the Month are becoming synonymous. For the third time this season, an RCD Espanyol won the award as Sergi Darder won the honor for the month of February.

Espanyol went (2-2-1) in the month with Darder garnering Man of the Match honors in a 1-1 draw with SD Huesca. He scored a goal and added an assist in the month.

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LA LIGA MATCHDAY 27

vs.

ATHLETIC BILBAO 2:2 RCD ESPANYOL
Estadio San Mames (Capacity: 53,289)


ERaul Garcia celebrates for Athletic Bilbao.

SCORING:
3' - (ESP) - C. Alena
18' - (ESP) - P. Piatti
51' - (BIL) - A. Aduriz
69' - (BIL) - R. Garcia

DISCIPLINE:
59' - (ESP) - Pipa (Yellow)
74' - (BIL) - A. Aduriz (Yellow)

3/9/19
Bilbao, ESP (AP) - Espanyol blew a two goal lead and had to settle for a draw as Athletic Bilbao rallied to find a point at Estadio San Mames. The home side scored twice off of set pieces after halftime to earn the draw.

Espanyol got things going early in this one as Estaban Granero set up Carles Alena perfectly in the third minute and Alena slid the ball into the back of the net to put Espanyol up 1-nil.

Just a quarter of an hour later, Granero once again was the setup man and he found Pablo Piatti, who had lost his defender. Piatti left footed one into the roof of the net and it was 2-nil just 18 minutes in.

Espanyol would take that 2-nil lead into the halftime break and it looked like they were heading towards getting the three points that they needed. But Bilbao had other ideas.

In the 51st minute, Athletic Club had a corner kick that was taken by Markel Susaeta. He sent in a ball to the near post that Aritz Aduriz headed past Edu Frias to get the home side on the board. They would get another chance in the 69th minute with another corner taken by Susaeta. This one was sent to the far post where Raul Garcia got above the Espanyol defense and headed it past both Frias and Sergi Darder to level the match.

Espanyol would get a golden opportunity to retake the lead just minutes later as Marc Rosa sent a beautiful pass to Sean Maguire. He split the Bilbao defense and was in alone, but his shot was somehow kept out by keeper Iago Herrerin to preserve the tie.

Athletic Bilbao (7-8-12, 29 pts) moved two points clear of the relegation zone with the draw. They would outshoot Espanyol 9-8 on the match.

Estaban Granero earned Man of the Match honors with his two assists. Espanyol (11-7-9, 40 pts) remains tied for 7th position with Celta Vigo. That position is currently a Europa League spot as Valencia and FC Barcelona are playing for the Copa de Espana and an automatic Europa League berth, and both sit inside the top six.

Up next for Espanyol is a return home to take on Sevilla FC (8-6-13, 30 pts). A squad also in a fight for it's life from relegation.

Midweek:
Leganes 0:2 Valencia CF

Matchday 27 Results:
Getafe 1:1 Huesca
Atletico Madrid 2:1 Leganes
FC Barcelona 1:0 Rayo Vallecano
Alaves 2:1 SD Eibar
Girona 1:3 Valencia CF
Levante 1:1 Villarreal CF
Celta Vigo 0:1 Real Betis
Real Valladolid 1:1 Real Madrid
Sevilla 1:1 Real Sociedad

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2018-19 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: ROUND OF 16



Round of 16 Results:
Liverpool 2:0 (3:1) Real Madrid
Manchester City 2:0 (5:0) Ajax
FC Bayern 2:0 (2:1) Atletico Madrid
Roma 1:1 (2:1) Galatasaray
AS Monaco 1:0 (2:2) Inter Milan (AS Monaco advances on away goals)
Juventus 2:1 (5:2) TSG Hoffenheim
Lokomotiv Moscow 2:2 (3:5) PSG
FC Barcelona 2:1 (4:1) Manchester United

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2018-19 EUROPA LEAGUE: ROUND OF 16



Round of 16 Results:
KRC Genk 1:1 (1:1) Olympiakos CFP (Olympiakos CFP advances on away goals)
Olympique Marsaille 0:3 (1:6) Dortmund
Lazio 0:1 (1:3) Villarreal CF
Chelsea 1:2 (4:3) Olympique Lyonnais
Napoli 4:0 (6:2) Fenerbahce
Stade Rennais 0:1 (2:3) Besiktas
Leverkusen 2:1 (3:1) Atalanta
FC Porto 3:3 (5:5) Sporting CP (Sporting CP advances on away goals)

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LA LIGA MATCHDAY 28

vs.

RCD ESPANYOL 2:5 SEVILLA FC
RCDE Stadium (Capacity: 40,500)


Sean Maguire scores the only goal of the match in the 17th minute.

SCORING:
5' - (SEV) - L. Muriel
8' - (SEV) - E. Banega
15' - (SEV) - A. Silva
28' - (ESP) - L. Baptistao
38' - (ESP) - P. Piatti
70' - (SEV) - A. Silva
88' - (SEV) - Wesley

DISCIPLINE:
33' - (ESP) - L. Lopez (Yellow)
45' - (ESP) - E. Boateng (Yellow)
90' - (ESP) - L. Lopez (Yellow/Red)

3/17/19
Barcelona, ESP (AP) - Espnayol suffered an embarrassing home loss on Sunday afternoon, falling 5-2 to Sevilla FC at RCDE Stadium. Andre Silva scored twice for Sevilla as they completed the double over Espanyol, after winning 3-1 back in November in Seville.

Sevilla FC came out and stunned Espanyol and the capacity crowd, scoring three times in the opening quarter hour to take a 3-nil lead. In the fifth minute, Luis Muriel put a left footed shot into the roof of the goal off of a great feed from Quincy Promes. Just three minutes later, Ever Banega curled one into the top corner off the post to put Sevilla up by two. Then in the 15th minute, Andre Silva had a rebound off of the post sit right in the six yard box for him to tap home and it was 3-nil.

Espanyol would finally settle down, and they actually got two back before the break. Leo Baptistao dribbled into the box, tried to cross the ball, but it got headed back to him, and he calmly rolled it past Tomas Vaclik with his left foot to get Espanyol on the board.

In the 38th minute, Emmanuel Boateng dribbled to the touch line, then passed to Pablo Piatti charging in, and he roofed it to bring Espanyol back to within one. Sevilla FC outshot Espanyol 11-3 in the opening half and dominated play, but held just the slim margin at halftime.

Espanyol had a couple of great chances to equalize in the second half. Emmanuel Boateng got free in the 54th minute, but Tomas Vaclik made an incredible save, deflecting the ball just wide. Just moments later, Pablo Piatti headed the corner just wide of the far post to keep it 3-2.

Sevilla would put this one to bed in the 70th minute. Andre Silva took a pass from Luis Muriel at the top of the box, and drilled it into the top corner to make it 4-2. Wesley would put a cap on this one in the 88th minute to make it 5-2 Sevilla.

The visitors outshot Espanyol 23-8 and the final scored was indicative of how one sided this match was. Sevilla, fighting to avoid relegation, came through with full points to improve to (9-6-13, 33 pts) and move up to 12th position.

Espanyol's loss dropped them to (11-7-10, 40 pts). They remain tied with Celta Vigo for the 7th spot and likely final Europa League berth. They now have just one win in their last five matches. and just two in their last eight. The task at hand does not get any easier as they head across town for the Barcelona Derby on Saturday at Camp Nou against FC Barcelona (17-5-6, 56 pts), who sit in fourth position, the final Champions League spot.

Midweek Results:
Getafe 2:2 Alaves

Matchday 28 Results:
Athletic Bolbao 0:0 Atletico Madrid
SD Eibar 1:1 Real Valladolid
Huesca 1:1 Alaves
Leganes 1:0 Girona
Real Sociedad 2:1 Levante
Real Madrid 3:! Celta Vigo
Valencia CF 1:0 Getafe
Villarreal CF 3:0 Rayo Vallecano
Real Betis 2:2 FC Barcelona

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2018-19 EUROPA LEAGUE: QUARTERFINAL DRAW



Quarterfinal Draw:
Villarreal CF vs. Chelsea
Leverkusen vs. Dortmund
Sporting CP vs. Napoli
Besiktas vs. Olympiakos CFP

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2018-19 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: QUARTERFINAL DRAW



Quarterfinal Draw:
Manchester City vs. PSG
FC Barcelona vs. Roma
Juventus vs. FC Bayern Munchen
AS Monaco vs. Liverpool