Espanyol dominate the ball but can't find a way through Deportivo in a 0-0 draw
Espanyol had 63.8% of the possession and nine corners to Deportivo's five, but neither side could turn pressure into a goal as the RCDE Stadium produced its second scoreless draw of the season.
Espanyol had the ball, the corners and the better of the passing all afternoon, and still had nothing to show for it. Deportivo La Coruña came to the RCDE Stadium, sat in, and left with the point their defending earned them in a match that never produced a goal.
Pere Milla and Tyrhys Dolan probed without finding the finish for the hosts, who put four shots on target to Deportivo's one but could not make the extra pass count in the final third. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Deportivo's well-travelled forward, came on with half an hour left and picked up a late yellow card without getting a sight of goal himself.
Match facts
- 39' — Luismi Cruz (Deportivo), yellow card
- 44' — Roberto Fernández (Espanyol), yellow card
- 73' — Leandro Cabrera (Espanyol), yellow card
- 77' — Alejandro Santiago (Espanyol), yellow card
- 81' — Diego Villares (Deportivo), yellow card
- 82' — Lorenzo Amatucci (Deportivo), yellow card
- 89' — Gabriel Moscardo (Espanyol), yellow card
- 89' — Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Deportivo), yellow card
| Stat | Espanyol | Deportivo |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 63.8% | 36.2% |
| Shots on target | 4 | 1 |
| Accurate passes | 426/506 (84.2%) | 221/281 (78.6%) |
| Corners | 9 | 5 |
| Fouls committed | 17 | 10 |
| Yellow cards | 4 | 4 |
Line-ups
Espanyol set up in a 3-4-1-2: Ángel Fortuño in goal behind Leandro Cabrera, Quilindschy Hartman and Omar El Hilali, Pol Lozano, Edu Expósito, Cala and Alejandro Santiago across midfield, Tyrhys Dolan in the hole behind Roberto Fernández and Pere Milla. Javi Hernandez, Gabriel Moscardo, Vanja Drkusic, Bryan Zaragoza and Marcos Fernández were all introduced. Deportivo lined up in a 4-2-3-1 behind Leo Román, with Miguel Loureiro, José María Giménez, Giacomo Quagliata and Adrià Altimira in defence, Luismi Cruz and Mario Soriano Carreno screening, and Lorenzo Amatucci, Bil Nsongo and Yeremay Hernández supporting David Mella. Riki Rodríguez, Adama Traoré, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marc Casadó and Diego Villares came off the bench.
Espanyol climb despite the missed chance to win it
Espanyol's run in the archive had been L D L L W before this — four goals scored, seven conceded, a single win in five — so a clean sheet and a point is a step in the right direction even without the three points. It takes them to 12 from 12 games, enough on the day's business to climb from 14th to 12th, above both Rayo Vallecano and Getafe, and out of the bottom half for the first time in a few weeks.
Deportivo's five-match slide finally stops
Deportivo had been the shakier of the two coming in — D L D L W in the archive, with the win a 2-1 result over Osasuna their only victory in that run — and a point away from home against a side dominating the ball as thoroughly as Espanyol did is no bad outcome. It takes Deportivo to 15 points from 12 games, still 8th, their European push intact even if this one produced no goals at either end.
What's next
Espanyol travel to San Mamés to face Athletic Club on Sunday 22 November for La Liga's matchday 13. Deportivo go to the Basque Country too, but further along the coast, away at Alavés the same day.
Picks for you
Advertising. Affiliate links — we may earn a commission on your purchases, at no extra cost to you. It does not influence our editorial coverage.
Keep reading
International FootballSevilla 0-0 Alavés: a stalemate that suited neither side's attack
Three yellow cards for Alavés, one for Sevilla, and not a single goal at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán as the two sides played out a 0-0 draw on La Liga matchday 12.
International FootballRacing Santander come from behind to beat 10-man Málaga 2-1 at La Rosaleda
Carlos Dotor's 28th-minute opener had Málaga ahead and level with ten men still on the pitch, but Iker Luque and Yassir Zabiri turned it around either side of Adam Aznou's dismissal as Racing Santander won 2-1.
International FootballElche 0-2 Real Betis: two substitutes settle it in the last ten minutes
Rodrigo Riquelme and Marc Bartra, both introduced from the bench, scored in the 81st and 89th minutes to give Real Betis a 2-0 win at the Martínez Valero, while Elche collected all four of the match's yellow cards.