Espanyol 1 - Atlético Madrid 2

Espanyol: Argensó; Navas, Soldevilla, Jarque, David García; Maxi (Velamazán 85'), Morales, De la Peña (Martín Posse 60'), Roger (Crusat 82'); Milosevic, Tamudo. 4-4-2.
Atlético: Esteban; Contra, Coloccini, García Calvo, Carreras (Hibic 48'); Nagore, Movilla (Luis García 62'); Aguilera, Correa (Jorge 53'), Stankovic; José Mari. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Espanyol: Jarque, Roger for Domoraud, Martín Posse / Atlético: Esteban, Nagore, Movilla for Mono Burgos, Albertini, Emerson.

Goals:
1-0. 48. Maxi. Collected lofted De la Peña pass and rounded keeper to score.
1-1. 74. Luis García. Headed home cross from left inside area.
1-2. 88. García Calvo. Header from close up following Stankovic cross.

Atlético Madrid came from behind in Montjuic to take a much needed three points and leave struggling Espanyol down in next to bottom place. Luis Aragonés kept to much the same side which drew at home to Athletic, with José Mari leading the attack after his hat-trick the week before and his consequent call up to the Spanish side. Burgos was injured though and did not make the starting line up, and the manager also replaced his two anchor men with Nagore and Movilla. On the home team bench, Ramón Moya only made a couple of changes despite two defeats in a row, bringing in under 19 international Jarque for the injured Domoraud and Roger for the more attacking Martín Posse.

José Mari was clearly a man on form, and Argensó had to be alert to save from him in the opening minutes. Esteban saved from Maxi at the other end, but otherwise there was not too much to speak about in the first half. Moya had started with De la Peña on the left of midfield and Roger in the centre, but he switched the two around with good effect. Three minutes in to the second half the "little Buddha" found Maxi with a perfectly weighted pass for him to run past a static defence and take the ball around Esteban to score.

Luis Aragonés is not called "El Sabio" (the wise man) for nothing though, and he brought in Hibic to the defence and pushed García Calvo further forward. A few minutes later he also introduced Luis García for a disappointing Correa, and he was to level the scores with a quarter of an hour to go, coming from behind to meet Stankovic's cross and power a header past Argensó. Then with two minutes to go it was the turn of García Calvo to be served by the Yugoslav winger, the Spanish international rising on the far post to head the winner. Milosevic could have saved a point in the last minute when given space in the penalty area, but his shot rattled the crossbar and bounced out. Espanyol are back in deep water, and Atlético move up to ninth, just two points off the Champions League spots.