FC Barcelona secured a victory in Saturday’s city derby against Espanyol. A brace from Ferran Torres gave them a 2-0 lead at half-time. In the second half, a rout seemed imminent, yet Espanyol fought back to make it a contest: 4-1. The victory allowed Barcelona to pounce on Real Madrid’s Friday draw at Girona (1-1), opening up a nine-point gap with seven matches left.
Even before kick-off, Barcelona received a boost as Frenkie de Jong returned to the matchday squad for the first time since 22 February. The Netherlands international, sidelined with a hamstring injury, was poised to make his comeback in the closing stages.
Espanyol often make life difficult for Barça at the RCDE Stadium, but the script was familiar at Camp Nou: the hosts controlled the first half from start to finish.
The opener arrived as early as the ninth minute when Lamine Yamal’s corner evaded everyone, including Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic, who dived under the ball; Torres calmly headed in at the far post.
Midway through the first half the score became 2-0, and once again Yamal was at the heart of the goal. With the outside of his foot he sent Torres through at exactly the right moment. The Spaniard ghosted behind the defender and slotted the ball gently but precisely into the far corner: 2-0.
Espanyol showed far more courage after the break and were rewarded when Pol Lozano pulled one back. Barcelona then created several chances, but owed it to Joan García that Espanyol did not equalise.
Late in the game, Barcelona finally pulled away. Yamal outran Dmitrovic and began celebrating even before tapping the ball into an empty net. De Jong then played a crucial role in the fourth, delaying his pass just long enough to pick out Marcus Rashford. The Englishman finished brilliantly on the turn.