Espanyol beat Levante 3-0 in the first match of the La Liga regular season at RCTC Stadium on Saturday. Roberto Fernandez Jaen opened the scoring in the fifth minute and added a second just before the half-hour mark, while Tirghis Dolan completed the tally late on. The hosts moved to three points from three games, Levante remain on four after three matches.
Fernandez Jaen ended Espanyol's barren spell after three minutes of possession and a probing start. He struck again in the 40th minute, catching Levante off guard as they tried to settle after the break. U. Gonzalez picked up a yellow card in the 37th minute for a mistimed challenge, and by then Espanyol had already shifted momentum. The visitors offered little in return, with Levante's goalkeeper making three saves from limited attempts.
Espanyol came out for the second half with a fresh look, bringing on C. Alvarez and P. Cortes in the 46th minute. Levante responded with I. Romero in place of their own attacker, but the pattern did not change. A. Calatrava went into the book in the 63rd minute, and J. Hernandez followed in the 68th as Levante tried to disrupt Espanyol's rhythm. Dolan was substituted himself in the 81st minute after his goal.
The statistics tell the story without embellishment. Espanyol held 54 per cent possession and produced 12 shots, six on target, against Levante's three attempts with none hitting the frame. Expected goals sat at 1.55 for the hosts and 0.28 for the visitors. Levante created zero big chances while Espanyol registered two, though only one found the net from those opportunities.
And here's the thing about this result — Espanyol's record stays at three points from three games, still 14th in the table. Levante pick up four points from three matches and sit 10th. Neither side has suddenly broken through, but Espanyol have at least put together something resembling a performance after that 1-3 defeat to Coventry earlier this month.