Osasuna Falls 1-0 to Espanyol on the Road

A second-half goal by defender Carlos Romero was enough for Los Pericos despite Los Rojillos’s first-half opportunities

Club Atlético Osasuna (1-0-2, 3 points) fell 1-0 against Espanyol (2-1-0, 7 points) on Sunday night at RCDE Stadium. Los Rojillos controlled play early and even had several chances in the first half. However, it was defender Carlos Romero who scored the only goal of the match in the 53rd minute with a left-footed volley. Despite an aggressive push for an equalizer, they were unable to capitalize on their opportunities.

Osasuna started the match controlling the ball and creating havoc in front of the goalkeeper, Marko Dmitrovic. Forward Ante Budimir had a crucial one-on-one chance against Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic in the 20th minute, but the shot was saved. Just before halftime, Osasuna came close to scoring when defender Valentín Rosier sent a cross to midfielder Jon Moncayola in the six-yard box, but Moncayola's volley struck the crossbar.

After Romero's goal, Osasuna's head coach Alessio Lisci made several substitutions to spark a comeback. Budimir had two good opportunities to equalize, first with a header in the 75th minute that was caught by Dmitrovic and then a volley just five minutes later that was deflected for a corner.

In stoppage time, defender Alejandro Catena nearly leveled the match when he connected with a low cross from Enzo Boyomo, but Los Pericos' goalie stopped his shot.

Osasuna will look to bounce back in their next official match on Sunday, September 14, at El Sadar during Week 4 of LaLiga EA Sports. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CET (5:30 p.m. BST/12:30 p.m. ET).