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FULL-TIME, Barcelona 1-1 Espanyol: Espanyol get a point against their rivals and Barça are top of the table on goal difference, but the story unfortunately is Mateu Lahoz. The worst referee in Spain showed his true colors today, and what was a competitive match between two fierce rivals is completely overshadowed by a masterclass in bad officiating.
85’ RED CARD REVERSED! After a VAR check Cabrera’s red card is rescinded and Espanyol are down to 10 men instead of nine. What a horrible refereeing performance.
81’ RED CARDS! TWO Espanyol players are sent off as Cabrera is given a straight red for kicking Lewandowski’s head and Vincius Souza is shown a second yellow for a foul on Sergi Roberto. It’s a mess at Camp Nou, and Mateu Lahoz continues his personal show.
77’ RED CARD! Jordi Alba is given two yellow cards in less than two minutes for talking to Lahoz and is sent off!
GOAL, Barcelona 1-1 Espanyol (Joselu pen 73’): Ter Stegen tries his best to distract Joselu but the striker goes right down the middle, converts the penalty and we’re all square in the Derby.
71’ PENALTY TO ESPANYOL: Joselu goes down inside the box under the challenge of Marcos Alonso and Mateu Lahoz points to the spot. It’s completely accidental contact, but it’s no surprise the penalty is given.
SECOND HALF KICKOFF! Barcelona 1-0 Espanyol: Back underway at Camp Nou!
HALFTIME, Barcelona 1-0 Espanyol: A strong start by Barça with an early goal and plenty of big chances, but they were wasteful in front of goal and couldn’t find a second. Still work to be done in the second half, but this is a good performance so far.
GOAL!!! Barcelona 1-0 Espanyol (Alonso 7’): BARÇA TAKE THE EARLY LEAD! A corner comes into the box, Lewandowski makes first contact and Christensen makes the assist at the far post to Marcos Alonso who heads home the opener!
KICKOFF! Barcelona 0-0 Espanyol: And we’re underway at Camp Nou!
WELCOME TO THE SPOTIFY CAMP NOU!!! After two long months, the Greatest Stadium on Earth finally opens its doors for a Barcelona men’s match again as the Catalan giants take on crosstown rivals Espanyol in the final La Liga game of 2022. Barça will play their first game after the World Cup and are looking for three big points to stay top of the table going into 2023, but it won’t be easy as Espanyol know how to make things tough in a derby. This should be fun, and you’re welcome to join us to follow and comment all the action. Vamos!
(Note: the comments will be open only when the team news come out, because our commenter people love commenting and sometimes there are too many comments in the comments section)
LINEUPS
BARCELONA
Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Christensen, Alonso, Alba; Gavi, De Jong, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Fati (4-3-3)
Substitutes: Peña (GK), Tenas (GK), Araujo, Eric, Kounde, Bellerín, Balde, Busquets, Kessie, Dembélé, Ferran, Memphis
ESPANYOL
Starting XI: Fernández; Gil, Calero, Gómez, Cabrera, Oliván; Ribaudo, Souza, Darder; Braithwaite, Joselu (5-3-2)
Substitutes: García (GK), Lecomte (GK), Vidal, Hilali, Keddari, Expósito, Villahermosa, Martínez, Puado, Lazo, Sánchez
MATCH INFO
Competition/Round: 2022-23 La Liga, Matchday 15
Date/Time: Saturday, December 31, 2022, 2pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 1pm GMT (UK), 8am ET, 5am PT (USA), 6.30pm IST (India)
Venue: Spotify Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz
VAR: Santiago Jaime Latre
HOW TO WATCH
On TV: ESPN Deportes (USA), TSN 5 (Canada), Viaplay Sports 2 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), Sports18 (India), Movistar LaLiga (Spain), others
Online: ESPN+ (USA), LaLigaTV (UK), Movistar+ (Spain), others
Matchday Thread Rules
We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:
Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, watch the swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do it will be warned, and those who post links will be instantly banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.
Have fun with the game! Forever and ever, no matter the competition, VISCA EL BARÇA!
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