Goalkeeper Joan García silenced a hostile home crowd as Barcelona claimed a late 2–0 win over Espanyol in a fiery Catalan derby on Saturday, with Fermín López inspiring the decisive moments.
Back at RCDE Stadium for the first time since swapping Espanyol for their bitter rivals, García was booed relentlessly but delivered a standout performance, producing a series of crucial saves to keep Barça level during long spells of Espanyol dominance.
The breakthrough finally arrived late on when Fermín, introduced from the bench, unlocked the defence in the 86th minute, teeing up Dani Olmo to break the deadlock.
Four minutes later, the midfielder struck again, this time setting up Robert Lewandowski to seal the victory.
Despite the scoreline, Espanyol were impressive and arguably the better side for much of the contest.
Pere Milla and Roberto Fernández both tested García repeatedly, with the goalkeeper’s finest moment coming just before halftime as he produced a stunning one-handed reflex save to tip Milla’s close-range header over the bar.
Tensions ran high throughout the match, prompting Espanyol to install a protective mesh behind the goal to shield García. Even so, sections of the home support aimed taunts at the former fan favourite, displaying banners portraying him as a rat in Barcelona colours.
The win strengthens Barcelona’s grip at the top of LaLiga, extending their advantage over Real Madrid to seven points ahead of Los Blancos’ home clash with Real Betis on Sunday.
