Espanyol made to work hard for win

RCD Espanyol claimed a narrow 1-0 triumph over Córdoba CF in the opening fixture of matchday 25 of the Liga BBVA. Abraham González's strike saw the Catalans get back to winning ways after defeat in their previous league match. The Andalusians, meanwhile, have not yet tasted victory during the second half of the Spanish top flight season.

The first period got off to a slow start, and the game's first chance did not arrive until the 17th minute. Anaitz Arbilla tried his luck with a long-range effort that was diverted out by the visiting defence; from the corner, Abraham González came close to making it 1-0 with a header. It was the Barcelona-born player who got los blanquiazules' goal on the stroke of half-time, as Héctor Moreno crossed and Felipe Caicedo knocked down for his team-mate to score.

In the second half, Córdoba came out in search of the equaliser. As the minutes went by, Sergio González's men took control of the play and created moments of danger through Sergio García and Arbilla. The away side's best period came towards the end of the encounter, Bebé enjoying two chances to level the scores. First, Moreno rescued the hosts, before Córdoba's Portuguese substitute shot well over when one-on-one with Kiko Casilla. José Ángel Crespo also could have snatched an equaliser with a header from a corner.
Espanyol had to work hard to maintain the scoreline, Casilla producing several commendable interventions in the final minutes to ensure his team claimed the three points. The win leaves them provisionally eighth with 32 points, while Córdoba are bottom on 18.