Racing Santander 1 - Espanyol 2

Racing: Ceballos; Pineda, Arzeno, Mellberg, Sietes; Estévez (Rushfeldt 62'), Espina, Jaime (Morán 55'), Amavisca; Bestchastnykh (Vivar Dorado 70'), Preciado. 4-4-2.
Espanyol: Mora; Cristóbal, Soldevilla, Pochettino, Toledo; Navas, Sergio, Morales, Arteaga; Serrano (Martín Posse 68'), Tamudo. 4-4-2.

Team changes: Racing: Pineda, Preciado for Tais, Manjarín / Espanyol: Navas, Morales, Arteaga for De Lucas, Galca, Iván Díaz.

Goals:
0-1. 32. Arteaga (penalty).After Sietes pulled on Serrano's shirt.
0-2. 53. Tamudo. First time shot after centre from Toledo on left wing.
1-2. 76. Rushfeldt. Header after Preciado nodded back Amavisca cross.

Racing manager Andoni Goikoetxea's job was on the line after his team lost at home to one of their bogey teams, Espanyol. With the exception of a play-off match in 1993, the Cantabrian side have not beaten the Catalans since the end of 1981, and luck was against them here as they did their best to change all that. Missing two of their regular squad, Tais and Manjarín, with tummy bugs, Racing shared the honours in the first few minutes of the game with their opponents, with Amavisca and Bestchastnykh finding their way to goal blocked by Mora, and Tamudo and Arteaga shooting wide for the visitors. However Espanyol took the lead around the half hour mark when referee García-Aranda awarded a penalty for a foul that only he saw, apparently for a tug on Serrano's shirt by Sietes (or Espina, or Tais?). With regular penalty taker Galca out injured, club captain Arteaga stepped up to score his third goal in as many seasons in Espanyol's visits to the Sardinero stadium.

Racing came out after the break determined to turn the game around, and after Estévez hit the post in the first minute of the second half, the referee correctly ruled out a Preciado goal for offside. Then against the run of play Espanyol extended their lead, the ever-dangerous Tamudo hitting a first time volley through Ceballos on a quick counter-attack. The crowd started to chant "Goiko out", probably fed up with trying to remember how to spell his name in their letters home (I know I am). But then shortly after Vivar Dorado made his first reppearance after a long injury, another substitute Rushfeldt put the home side back in it with a header.

Racing threw everything into attack, but found themselves up against a Mora on his best form, and when Espina's free kick crashed against the crossbar they knew that this one was lost. Their side stayed in next to last place, and Goiko has a tricky week ahead of him, although club president Miguel Angel Díaz has said that he was happy with the way the team played and ratified the manager in his post. Paco Flores has no such worries, and although his Espanyol side lost in the UEFA cup midweek at home to Oporto, they have now gone six games without defeat in the league, and they rise up to eighth place, within two points of third placed Real Madrid. With Japanese international striker Akinori Nishizawa due to join the squad in the next few days they should continue their assault on the top spots.