In his first start since recovering from a hamstring injury, Dani Olmo made an impressive return for Barcelona, scoring twice in their 3-1 La Liga victory over Espanyol in the city derby on Sunday. Raphinha also found the net, adding to Barcelona’s momentum after their dominant 4-0 Clasico win against Real Madrid the previous week at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Barcelona’s lead over Real Madrid has now expanded to nine points, though Madrid’s game against Valencia was postponed due to recent floods in southern Spain that resulted in over 200 fatalities. Additionally, the flood-related crisis led to postponements of Villarreal’s match against Rayo Vallecano and three second-division games in the region.
The win extended Barcelona’s remarkable 27-game unbeaten run against Espanyol in league matches. Espanyol, struggling in 17th place, has suffered six losses in their last seven league outings.
Olmo’s goals marked his first start since he sustained a right hamstring injury on September 15 against Girona. He had previously come off the bench in Barcelona’s Champions League win over Bayern Munich and the Clasico triumph against Madrid. Olmo’s first goal on Sunday arrived in the 12th minute, as he capitalized on a well-placed cross from Lamine Yamal. He scored his second in the 31st minute, firing a shot from outside the box. This brings Olmo’s tally to five goals in five appearances in his debut season with Barcelona.
Raphinha added to the scoreline in the 23rd minute, converting a long cross from Marc Casadó with a one-touch finish. In 12 league matches, Barcelona has now scored 40 goals—nearly double Madrid’s 21 goals. Espanyol had two goals ruled offside, one by Jofre Carrera in the 27th minute following a VAR review, and another by Álvaro Tejero in the 58th. Javi Puado finally netted a legitimate goal for Espanyol in the 63rd, but Barcelona also had a goal disallowed in stoppage time.
Pre-game celebrations saw Barcelona honor their Ballon d’Or awardees, including Yamal, who won the Kopa Trophy as the top Under-21 player, and Aitana Bonmatí, recognized as the world’s best female player. Barcelona’s women’s team also received the prize for the best women’s team. A moment of silence for flood victims was observed at the stadium and at other league matches over the weekend.
Elsewhere in La Liga, Atletico Madrid defeated Las Palmas 2-0, with Giuliano Simeone—son of Atletico manager Diego Simeone—scoring his first goal for the club. The goal comes over two decades after his father’s last league goal for Atletico as a player. Alexander Sorloth netted Atletico’s second, securing third place for the team and placing them 10 points behind Barcelona.
