Espanyol’s defender, Leandro Cabrera, opened the scoring early in the match by heading in a pass from Alex Kral from a corner kick just two minutes after the start. However, Leganes demonstrated the capability to challenge stronger teams, reminiscent of their recent performance against Barcelona, as they dominated the game for the remainder of the half. García’s exceptional saves prevented Leganes from claiming all three points.
In the second half, García showcased his skills with at least four significant stops, notably executing consecutive saves in the 74th minute. After Leganes midfielder Yvan Neyou struck the post, García made an impressive dive to deny Miguel de la Fuente’s attempt and then quickly maneuvered back to thwart Juan Cruz, who was trying to slot in the rebound from a tight angle.
Prior to the match, García was rumored to be a potential signing for Arsenal following his performance that helped Spain secure a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Following the match against Leganes, he expressed disappointment over the draw against a direct rival also seeking to avoid relegation. “We have to find a way to win our home games against our direct rivals. Now we need to beat Valladolid,” said García, looking ahead to their next match against another struggling team.
Currently, Espanyol sits in 18th place, the relegation zone, while Valladolid trails just behind in 19th after their recent victory over Real Betis, marking a promising debut win for new coach Diego Cocca.
In another match, Valencia fell to the bottom of the league standings after conceding a late equalizer at Sevilla in a 1-1 draw, reflecting the struggles faced by two historically significant clubs. Sevilla salvaged a point at home thanks to a crucial error from Valencia’s goalkeeper, Giorgi Mamardashvili, who allowed a last-minute shot by Adria Pedrosa to slip through, resulting in a stoppage-time goal.
Valencia had hoped to secure their first away win this season, especially after Luis Rioja scored on a counterattack midway through the second half. However, the draw cemented their place at the bottom of the table, now four points adrift of safety halfway through the season. “We are unable to finish games and have faced some difficult setbacks,” Rioja remarked, attributing part of their struggles to bad luck that led to dropping critical points.
Meanwhile, Sevilla’s disgruntled supporters voiced their frustrations, calling for management changes after another lackluster performance. New signing Rubén Vargas made his debut as a second-half substitute and nearly changed the game with a shot that hit the post in the 81st minute, providing one of the few highlights for the team currently positioned in 13th place.
Additionally, Girona’s substitute, John Solís, secured a last-minute victory with a 1-0 win against Alaves, taking advantage of a defensive misplay by Moussa Diarra.
