"The RCDE Stadium saw Barcelona take on Espanyol in their first game of 2026 last night in a match that was far tighter than recent Catalan derbies have been. Both teams had their fair share of chances in the first-half which eventually ended goalless. Hansi Flick brought Fermin Lopez on for Rashford after the break, giving Barcelona a better structure to improve their potency in attack."
"However, that too did not help Barcelona open the scoring as both goalkeeper produced stunning saves to keep their sides in the game. In the end, however, Dani Olmo scored a stunning golazo out of virtually nothing in the dying minutes of the game to hand the team all three points. Lewandowski then doubled the lead minutes later. Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from Espanyol 0-2 Barcelona."
"Despite having the pressure on him, however, Garcia was phenomenal in goal for Barcelona. He made one decent save and one extraordinary save in the first half, denying Espanyol a sure-shot goal with a reflex touch just past the half-hour mark. Made yet another stunning save to deny a 1v1 situation for Espanyol, capping off a complete display. Ended the game with six saves from inside the box."
The match at the RCDE Stadium was Barcelona versus Espanyol in the first game of 2026 and proved tighter than recent Catalan derbies. The first half ended 0-0 after both teams created chances. Hansi Flick substituted Fermin Lopez for Rashford after the break to give Barcelona more structure and attacking potency. Both goalkeepers produced stunning saves that kept the score level until the late stages. Dani Olmo scored a dramatic golazo in the dying minutes to give Barcelona the lead, and Lewandowski added a second shortly afterwards. Joan Garcia finished with six saves and earned a top rating.
Read at Barca Universal
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