Espanyol secured a vital 1-0 victory over Villarreal at the Estadio de la Cerámica, bringing an end to their challenging six-game winless run. The decisive goal came from Leandro Cabrera, with B-team coach Sergio García leading the side as interim manager.
The win arrived just three days after the club parted ways with former head coach Manolo González. While Eder Sarabia has been named as Espanyol’s new head coach, he was serving a two-match suspension and could not take charge for this fixture, leaving García to step in.
The match saw Espanyol take the lead in the 60th minute through Cabrera, who was assisted by Bryan Zaragoza. Earlier in the game, Espanyol thought they had scored when Roberto Fernández found the net in the 50th minute, but the goal was disallowed by VAR after a review found he had held Pau Navarro.
Despite Villarreal controlling possession for long spells and registering more shots, they struggled to convert their chances. Their efforts were further hampered when key player Gerard Moreno was forced off with a muscle injury in the 17th minute, being replaced by Nicolas Pépé. Espanyol goalkeeper Ángel Fortuño delivered a standout performance, earning the match’s top player rating for his crucial saves.
This result sees Espanyol move to 12th in the La Liga standings with 11 points. Villarreal, meanwhile, sit 10th with 12 points. Looking ahead, Villarreal will host Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, 3rd November, while Espanyol’s next La Liga fixture is at home against Deportivo La Coruña on Saturday, 7th November.