La Liga leader FC Barcelona rode its luck before two late goals from Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski assured a 2-0 win away to local rivals Espanyol.
Goalkeeper’s Heroics
Barcelona’s other hero was goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who joined from Espanyol over the summer and faced boos and whistles every time he touched the ball. Garcia made a series of impressive saves to keep Espanyol at bay as the home side looked for a sixth consecutive league win, creating six good chances that were all frustrated by their former goalkeeper.
Late Goals Seal the Match
Olmo put Barcelona ahead in the 86th minute with a curling shot into the top of the net, and Lewandowski secured the points with a smart finish after setup from Fermin Lopez in the final moments.
Villarreal’s Strong Showing
Villarreal moved back into third with a 3-1 away win over Elche. The visitors quickly took a 2-0 lead with goals from Alberto Moleiro and Georges Mikautadze. Although Martim Neto pulled a goal back for Elche after half an hour, they were unable to find an equalizer, and Alfonso Pedraza sealed three points for Villarreal with seven minutes left to play.
Celta Vigo Dominates Valencia
Borja Iglesias scored twice as Celta Vigo sailed past struggling Valencia 4-1 at home. Pepelu’s smart shot got Valencia into the game with 20 minutes left, but Jones El-Abdellaoui scored a third for Celta in the 83rd minute, and Hugo Sotelo netted a fourth in injury time. Valencia goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala suffered a muscle injury and was replaced by Pepelu for the closing moments.
Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao Share Points
Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao played out a 1-1 draw, with Ruben Garcia’s long-range free kick giving Osasuna a deserved first-half lead, before Gorka Guruzeta leveled with 20 minutes remaining as Athletic improved after the break.
Late Equalizer for Getafe
On Friday night, Mauro Arambarri headed in a late equalizer as Getafe snatched a 1-1 draw away to Rayo Vallecano, who had led with Jorge de Frutos’ volley in first-half injury time.