Things are going from bad to worse at Espanyol, and even though for once they had numerical superiority for half of the game after Osasuna's Antonio López picked up two bookings, they still lost the game. To make matters worse though, Lopo got himself sent off for the third time this season in the last minute for elbowing an opponent, and must now face a lengthy ban. The fastest sending off of the season though came in the match between Betis and Murcia, where an old villain Roteta got his marching orders in only the second minute of the game after a rugby tackle on local striker Dani. Once again numbers were evened up in the second half after Betis full back Luis Fernández was shown a second yellow card.

Athletic Bilbao's young midfielder Gurpegui was in the news again this week for two reasons, firstly because a local judge suspended his two year ban pending a court case at a date to be arranged (which knowing the Spanish legal system could be some time after he is drawing his old age pension), and secondly because he celebrated his return to the playing fields with a fifth booking which means he immediately misses the next match!

Gurpegui is one of seven players who reached the five card limit, the others being his team mate Tiko plus Viaud (Albacete), Fernando Sanz and Litos (Málaga), Soriano (Zaragoza) and Arruabarrena (Villarreal). Arruabarrena's case is particularly noteworthy, in that he picked up an injury early in the game, but wily old fox Benito Floro wouldn't let him come off until he got himself a booking. That way he can serve out the ban while injured!. (05.12.03)