![\"football](\"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/football-icon-520.jpg\"){kind=icon}
Cornella de Llobregat (Spain): RCD Espanyol scored a pair of goals in the final three minutes to post a 2-1 victory over Real Betis as they jumped a place to be provisionally eighth in the La Liga football championship here.<\/p>\nCornella de Llobregat (Spain): RCD Espanyol scored a pair of goals in the final three minutes to post a 2-1 victory over Real Betis as they jumped a place to be provisionally eighth in the La Liga football championship here.<\/p>\n
The Friday’s triumph sustains Espanyol’s hopes of snagging a Europa League berth, while leaving Betis mired in the bottom half of the La Liga table, safe from relegation yet far from contention, reports Efe.<\/p>\n
Betis were the more determined side in the opening minutes, but the hosts gradually asserted control of the flow of play.<\/p>\n
Despite having their way with the Betis defence, Espanyol were plagued by an inability to finish.<\/p>\n
The visitors showed more of their early initiative after the restart, winning corner kicks, even as Espanyol flagged.<\/p>\n
Both sides got chances — Sanabria for Betis and Diego Reyes for the home side — twice challenging visiting goalkeeper Adan.<\/p>\n
The stalemate was shattered in the 76th minute, when the referee awarded a controversial penalty to Betis for a Javi Fuego encounter with Sanabria. Espanyol keeper Diego Lopez guessed correctly, but couldn’t stop the strike from Ruben Castro to make it 1-0 for the visitors.<\/p>\n
Though fuming about the penalty, Espanyol kept their composure and Javi Fuego got the equaliser in the 87th minute, converting a cross from Gerard Moreno.<\/p>\n
Espanyol turned on the pressure and the winner came in the final minute of regulation, as Jose Antonio Reyes gathered a rebound and whipped the ball into the corner, leaving Adan with no chance.<\/p>\n
The win boosts Espanyol to eighth place, with 43 points from 29 matches. Betis, with 31 points, holds down the 13th spot in La Liga.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cornella de Llobregat (Spain): RCD Espanyol scored a pair of goals in the final three minutes to post a 2-1 victory over Real Betis as they jumped a place to be provisionally eighth in the La Liga football championship here.<\/p>\n
The Friday’s triumph sustains Espanyol’s hopes of snagging a Europa League berth, while leaving Betis mired in the bottom half of the La Liga table, safe from relegation yet far from contention, reports Efe.<\/p>\n
Betis were the more determined side in the opening minutes, but the hosts gradually asserted control of the flow of play.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[12975,466,3604,21865,7518],"class_list":["post-34124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world-football-news","tag-football-news","tag-indian-sports-news","tag-rcd-espanyol","tag-real-betis"],"yoast_head":"\n