Espanyol vs Barcelona: Joan Garcia's heroics against ex club helps Barcelona triumph in Catalan Derby

Barcelona left it late to beat Espanyol 2-0 thanks to heroic performances from their goalkeeper, Joan Garcia's and Hansi Flick's substitutes.

The game was cagey and end-to-end, with the goalkeepers on either side excelling before Dani Olmo broke the deadlock with a wonder strike in the 86th minute. Four minutes later, Robert Lewandowski sealed the result. Fermin Lopez assisted both goals.

The opening 45 minutes were cagey and cautious from both teams. Barcelona dominated possession and probed with short passes and movement but struggled to unlock Espanyol’s compact defence. 

Espanyol offered moments of promise at intervals, forcing interventions from Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García, but neither side could get the go-ahead goal, and the half concluded level at 0–0.

The game continued in the same vein until Hansi Flick's introduction of Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo. Olmo and Fermin combined for the opener. The latter had a mazy run through the pitch, culminating in him laying it off to Olmo, whose finesse shot saw him beat Dmitrovic. 

Just four minutes later, Barcelona doubled their advantage. Fermin was once again involved, shrugging off his marker before setting up Lewandowski, who bundled it home.

The win ensured Barcelona opened a seven-point lead at the top of the log, ahead of the Real Madrid tie in this round of matches against Real Betis on Sunday.