Late drama turns the tide at Mestalla
On the final day of 2021, Espanyol walked out of Valencia's Mestalla stadium with a 2‑1 victory that snapped their season‑long struggle to win away from Barcelona. The match unfolded as a tactical stalemate in the first half, with both sides testing each other's defenses while staying patient. Espanyol's organized back line limited Valencia to a single chance: a Hugo Duro header that clanged off Diego López's right post.
Just before the break, Espanyol appealed for a handball by Correia, but the referee waved it away and VAR chose not to intervene, denying the Pericos a potential penalty.
Substitutes ignite the comeback
The second half began explosively. Raúl de Tomás fired a powerful shot just eleven seconds after kickoff, his attempt soaring over the goalkeeper and the crossbar. Valencia, however, grabbed the lead in the 51st minute when Alderete headed home from a set‑piece.
Coach José Luis Martínez then shook up the lineup, introducing Javi Puado and later the young talent RDT. Their fresh legs unsettled Valencia keeper Jasper Cillessen, who found himself dealing with several hurried attempts.
The decisive moment arrived when academy graduate Jofre Carreras made his LaLiga debut. Within minutes he was brought down by Hugo Duro, earning a penalty and prompting a second yellow that saw Duro dismissed. Raúl de Tomás stepped up and calmly slotted the spot‑kick, leveling the score at 1‑1.
Buoyed by the equaliser, Carreras delivered a pinpoint cross into the box. Puado timed his run perfectly, rose above the defenders, and headed the ball past Cillessen to make it 2‑1. The final minutes saw Valencia press for an equaliser, with Iranzo's effort rattling the crossbar, but Espanyol held firm to secure their first away win of the campaign and finish the year on a high note.
