Marcos Fernández’s header miraculously saves a point for Espanyol

When Espanyol’s night seemed lost, Marcos Fernández appeared with a header that rescued a point at the last possible moment. After his first effort struck the crossbar, the academy graduate headed in his own rebound to level a match that had become increasingly difficult.

Espanyol played more than 40 minutes against 10-man Sevilla but created little danger. A goal by Omar was disallowed for positional offside, and the team’s ideas faded as it tried to take control. Then Belgian forward Stassin produced the 0-1 almost from nothing, leaving the RCDE Stadium stunned.

The match changed after the break. Edu Expósito beat an opponent with a sombrero and sent a precise pass toward Roberto, forcing Sangante to bring him down. The referee showed a red card, which stood despite Sevilla’s protests.

The numerical advantage finally persuaded Espanyol to attack more. Marcos Fernández came on to play with two central forwards, and the equalizer seemed to arrive when Omar el Hilali struck a powerful first-time shot from the edge of the area after Dolan’s cross was cleared. But the video assistant referee called the referee over to examine a possible positional offside by Marcos, and the goal was ruled out.

Espanyol still found a way back. Fernández’s late header avoided what would have been a painful defeat and stopped the team from losing three matches in a row. The point also offered a fitting reward for Manolo González in his 100th game as coach.