Espanyol Barcelona achieved a nice achievement on the San Mamés lawn by winning against Athletic Bilbao (2-1) on the 17th day of La Liga. In a contested first period, Bilbao took the lead thanks to Álex Berenguer in the 38th minute, rewarding a dynamic start from the Basques. But the Catalan reaction was not long in coming. Just before the break, Carlos Romero tied the two teams (44th), completely restarting the match.
Returning from the locker room, Espanyol showed more control and knew how to take advantage of their highlights. Pere Milla gave his team the lead in the 52nd minute, cementing the visitors’ surge in power. Despite the final pressure from Athletic and the support of the San Mamés public, Manolo González’s men held on to secure a valuable away victory, which also allows them to consolidate their 5th place in the standings and come back to within two points of Villarreal, who have a game in hand. Bilbao, for its part, is eighth.
