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Match Report: 1-0 win keeps anniversary celebrations going
RCD Espanyol beat Elche CF at home
On the occasion of the club’s 125th anniversary celebrations, RCD Espanyol claimed a 1-0 victory at home against Elche CF on LaLiga Matchday 10. Carlos Romero scored the only goal of the game, at the start of the second half.
Nearly 31,000 fans turned out at the RCDE Stadium, cheering on a side decked out in yellow in tribute to the club’s first ever kit.
Prior to kickoff, singer Noémi Jakob roused the crowd with her renditions of "Será porque te amo" and "Sweet Caroline" before giving way to Cris Juanico, who thrilled the stadium with her performance of "Amor Indestructible", the song composed by Jordi Via to commemorate the 125th anniversary.
When the action got underway, Jofre Carreras -one of the new additions to the starting lineup- had a magnificent opportunity to put RCD Espanyol ahead within 30 seconds, but was denied by Elche CF goalkeeper Iñaki Peña. The shot stopper was the visitors' best player in the first half, something that has become a habit in games for Los Pericos’ games thus far in 2025/26.
Espanyol lost some momentum when Elche began to have more possession. The newly promoted team have shown that they have great personality, as evidenced by their strong results this term.
Marko Dmitrović was spectacular when called upon, and at the other end the in-form Pere Milla proved to be a real nightmare for his former club. He had some four clear opportunities to score, but found himself denied each time by an inspired Iñaki Peña.
Roberto Fernández also showed his dedication and hard work to carve out a chance, but could not convert and the game went into halftime with the score at 0-0.
The second half began with a stellar move by Espanyol. Dmitrović rolled the ball out to find Romero amidst a swarm of players; the full-back advanced to play to Edu Expósito, who took advantage of the space created by Pere Milla and returned the ball to the full-back, who beat Iñaki Peña at his near post to make it 1-0.
The goal gave Espanyol a boost, and allowed them to stifle Elche. Pere Milla, with a spectacular shot from outside the box, almost surprised the visiting goalkeeper.
Whilst Elche refused to give up, and had a good opportunity to equalise, the determination and courage of the home defence prevented them from moving level.
In stoppage time, with Elche trying to push, Tyrhys Dolan had a chance to kill the game off, but his somewhat forced shot at full stretch went over the bar.
RCD Espanyol now have an impressive haul of 18 points from 10 games, and remain in the upper echelons of the table.