Cabrera strikes as Espanyol beat Villarreal 1-0 at La Ceramica
Espanyol claimed a 1-0 win over Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica in LaLiga Matchday 11. Leandro Cabrera scored the only goal in the 60th minute, set up by Bryan Zaragoza. Villarreal had the ball and the shots, but could not turn them into goals.
The first half ended goalless. In the 50th minute, Espanyol had a goal ruled out by VAR, scored by Roberto Fernandez Jaen. Ten minutes later they got one that counted: Zaragoza provided the assist and Cabrera scored.
The numbers favoured the hosts. Villarreal had 63% possession, 14 shots to 5 and 7 corners to 3. Their xG was 0.92, against 0.26 for Espanyol. Even so, shots on target were close: four for Villarreal and three for Espanyol.
It was a physical contest. Villarreal committed 15 fouls and Espanyol 13, with three yellow cards for each side and no reds.
Goals
- 60' Leandro Cabrera Espanyol
Match stats
Our prediction
Our preview pointed to a 2-0 Villarreal win, with a 55% probability for the hosts. Villarreal's control matched what we expected, but the result went the other way, with Espanyol winning by the odd goal.
Before this game, Villarreal were 10th on 12 points and Espanyol 18th on 8, both having played 10. With the win, Espanyol move to 11 points while Villarreal stay on 12.
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