Espanyol scored in the last breath a draw that tastes like little and a lot at the same time. Marcos Fernández, who entered the field in the 58th minute, scored in the 98th minute the definitive 1-1 that avoided a defeat that was expected at the RCDE Stadium against a Sevilla that had resisted with one less player since the first hour of the match.
The first half had few clear chances despite the high pace: a shot by Calatrava deflected in the 28th, another by Dolan near halftime, and an attempt by Ejuke that ended in a corner were the highlights before going to the locker room with a goalless draw.
The Andalusian team was left with ten men in the 55th when Arouna Sangante brought down Roberto as the Espanyol forward was going alone towards the goal. The referee did not hesitate to show him a straight red card for being the last man.
With the numerical superiority on their side, Espanyol seemed to find reward shortly after. In the 61st, Omar el Hilali took advantage of a rebound after a cross cleared by Vlachodimos to launch a cross whip that went into the Sevilla goal. The RCDE Stadium erupted, but the joy lasted little: the VAR reviewed the play and the referee disallowed the goal for offside at the moment of the shot.
Sevilla, far from shrinking, responded with an almost immediate counterattack. In the 66th, Stassin faced Dmitrovic alone after a one-on-one, but the Espanyol goalkeeper resolved with a good stretch. It was just a warning.
Sevilla coach Luis García Plaza had refreshed the attack with the entry of Stassin and Fofana in the 53rd, replacing Ure and Kochorashvili. The change proved providential: in the 84th, a throw-in headed on by a local defender fell perfectly for the Belgian, who without thinking connected an impossible half-volley that left the RCDE Stadium stunned. Stassin, debuting with the Sevilla shirt, became an unexpected hero in his debut.
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Espanyol, for its part, moved the bench seeking the equalizer: Urko and Fernández, Zaragoza entered, and, already in the final minutes, Riedel and Hartman. The final siege almost reached drama for the Sevillians: in the 94th, Vlachodimos prevented the equalizer with a double save, first to Fernández and then to Zaragoza, in the most important intervention of the match.
THEY SAY THEY NEVER GIVE UP! 🔴
— DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) September 6, 2026
NOT EVEN WITH ONE PLAYER LESS DOES SEVILLA STOP BELIEVING 🔥#LALIGAenDAZN ⚽ pic.twitter.com/XEBgpKAwRi
But the Greek goalkeeper could not avoid the inevitable. In the 98th, a cross found the head of Marcos Fernández, who smashed the ball against the crossbar. The rebound, however, fell again to himself, who shot a second time crossing the ball so that Vlachodimos could not reach it. The goal restored the tie to an Espanyol that had dominated the game without reward for more than half an hour with numerical superiority.
The result leaves Espanyol with the feeling of having wasted an advantage of more than half an hour, although escaping defeat in stoppage time. For Sevilla, a point of merit clawed out thanks to the great goal of a debutant.
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