The Catalan Derby brought together two teams in excellent form. Espanyol came in riding a run of five consecutive La Liga wins, very solid defensively, strong at home and confident, despite not having beaten Barcelona since 2018. On the other side stood a league-leading Barcelona, with eight straight league victories, a devastating attack and the best goals-per-game average in the competition. The context promised intensity, emotional balance and a match far more difficult than the numbers might suggest.
From the start, Barcelona took control of possession. De Jong helped in the build-up. Rashford often drifted inside, but without real impact. Despite having around 75 percent possession for long stretches of the first half, Barcelona created almost no real danger. The xG stayed very low and most of their approaches came from the flanks, almost always poorly executed.
Espanyol, even with less of the ball, were comfortable with their plan. They defended well, closed central spaces and forced Barcelona to circulate the ball without purpose. They did not create much, but were always alert to potential mistakes to break in transition. Ferran Torres had a poor first half, Raphinha looked uninspired and Yamal, even without a standout performance, was the one most willing to try to make something happen. Even so, the best chances of the first half came from isolated moments, highlighted by an absolutely unbelievable save from Joan García, which kept the score level at halftime. The clear feeling was that Espanyol had controlled the game better than Barcelona.
In the second half, Barcelona tried to react, but the pattern remained the same. Rashford came off at halftime, Fermín came on, and even then the team continued without clear ideas. De Jong made poor decisions, Raphinha and Ferran remained quiet, and the attacking game often boiled down to giving the ball to Lamine Yamal and hoping something would happen. On the other side, Espanyol had at least one big chance with a numerical advantage that they failed to convert, something that ended up costing them dearly.
The derby also became a battle between goalkeepers. Joan García continued to make absurd saves, keeping Espanyol alive, while Dmitrović also delivered when called upon. The substitutions finally changed the game. Pedri came on, Eric García dropped back into central defense, and Barcelona gained a bit more control and clarity.
In the 86th minute, when the match seemed to be heading toward an unfair draw for a team that had defended so much, Fermín showed his intelligence. He had space to shoot, but made the better decision. He slipped the ball to Dani Olmo inside the box, who finished first time, placing it into the top corner. A goal of enormous quality on his return from injury. In stoppage time, Fermín was decisive again, persisting in the play, reaching the byline and assisting Lewandowski for the 0-2.
The scoreline is misleading. Espanyol delivered a very competent performance, especially defensively, and stayed in the derby until the end. Barcelona were not dominant, they were effective. They won through individual quality, the right substitutions and the decisive impact of Fermín, who completely changed the game with intensity, intelligence and two assists. Three hard-earned points, far from a convincing performance, but enough to keep Barcelona firmly at the top.
Post-match
In my opinion, the 0-2 result does not reflect what the game actually was. Espanyol played a very competent derby, mainly on the defensive side. They closed spaces well, forced Barcelona to move the ball around without creating real danger, and had moments where they could have punished them.
The standout name of the match was Joan García, although there is a strong case for Fermín’s incredible impact. Several top-level saves, truly absurd ones, kept the game open for a long time. On the other side, Dmitrović also had a good performance.
Barcelona were not very creative throughout the match. Overly dependent on Lamine Yamal, with Ferran, Raphinha and Rashford below expectations.
Fermín completely changed the game. Intelligence, physicality, intensity and two assists that decided the derby. A win for a Barcelona side that were more effective than dominant.