Izuchukwu Okosi
Dutch striker Luuk de Jong scored a backbreaking goal in the 96th-minute as Barcelona snatched a 2-2 draw against city rivals Espanyol in the Catalan derby.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelTonny Vilhena took his place in the Espanyol midfield opposite Frenkie de Jong. Luuk de Jong was on the Barcelona bench while Memphis Depay is still not fit enough.
After only two minutes, Barcelona had the lead with Jordi Alba setting up Pedri to net the opener, the ball coming off the frame of the post and going in, but Espanyol hit back through Sergi Darder in the 40th minute.
Gavi had a goal disallowed early in the second half before Espanyol decided to take Vilhena off, possibly because he had just received a yellow card. De Jong quickly followed him off as Xavi swapped him for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Espanyol took the lead in the 64th minute as Raul de Tomas stunned Barcelona and it seemed that was going to be the winning goal. However, Luuk de Jong came off the bench in the 88th minute, and deep into injury time, he rose to head in a cross to earn his side a point.
Both teams ended the game with ten men and a point each. Barcelona are 4th in the table while Espanyol are 13th.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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