Cornellà Erupts: Espanyol Survives Mallorca's Siege in Five-Goal Masterclass

Pflichttermin Futmetrix-Wertung: 100/100. When Espanyol went down to ten men after Pere Milla's 45th-minute red card, the mountain seemed insurmountable; yet the home side remounted from numerical disadvantage to claim a victory that crystallizes both teams' season trajectories in this stakes-laden six-pointer.

Intensity Unleashed From the First Whistle

The Cornellà was a powder keg from kickoff. Espanyol arrived riding a perfect run (three wins in four games, third place, ten points), while Mallorca came desperate: 19th position, just one point on the board. The intensity was immediate. Pere Milla struck in the 20th minute with surgical precision, assisted by Carlos Romero. Minutes later, Roberto Fernández Jaén doubled the lead through Tyrhys Dolan's playmaking at the 34th. Espanyol breathed easy at 2-0.

Then chaos arrived. In the 45th minute, Vedat Muriqi converted a penalty to halve the deficit, but what shifted everything was Milla's dismissal for dissent. With ten men and 45 minutes remaining, the balance shattered. Mallorca smelled blood. The Kosovo striker completed his brace in the 65th, assisted by Sergi Darder, leveling at 2-2. The mountain had been climbed.

The Super Sub Seals the Epic

With the match wide open and 33 combined shots carving through Cornellà's air, the importance of each action was brutal. Enter Kike García from the bench in the 72nd minute, who executed a lethal penalty in the 81st to restore order. Espanyol 3, Mallorca 2. The substitute's goal was the final dagger in a battle that changed hands three times.

Muriqi (8.3 rating) was Mallorca's warrior soul with his brace, yet it proved insufficient. Dolan (8.2) orchestrated from midfield for Espanyol. The numbers tell the tale: 24 shots for Mallorca against 9 for Espanyol, 62% possession for the visitors, but only Espanyol converted when it mattered. Five goals, two penalties, one red card, and three lead changes: this was the crunch match La Liga demanded.