The fourth friendly served as an opportunity for the latest signing of the Gran Canarian team, goalkeeper Aarón Escandell, to accumulate his first minutes of the preseason under García Pimienta's guidance. The yellow goal was scored by Javi Muñoz, his second since joining UD Las Palmas. Las Palmas took a few minutes to find their rhythm on the field, as they evaluated their opponent's collective approach. Viera, Kirian, Loidoice, and Moleiro linked up in the midfield with the intention of assuming ball control and game responsibility.
The first shot of the afternoon, this time, was taken by Cristian Herrera, as he culminated a move from right to left. However, he failed to surprise the Barcelona goalkeeper, who easily controlled the ball.
That shot was the only highlight in the first half-hour, where both teams wrestled for control in the middle of the field. Espanyol suffered an early setback when the striker Puado got injured and was replaced by his teammate Javi Hernández.
In the 31st minute, Aarón Escandell made an appearance in the match. The Valencian goalkeeper denied Jofre's shot, pushing it next to the post. And then, he responded to Nabil's second attempt. His double save kept the score unchanged.
The first half proved to be exhausting due to the effort, but with few incidents in the penalty areas. The most dangerous shot for Las Palmas was also from Cristian Herrera, as the clock ticked by the 44th minute. The left-footed player took advantage of a pass from Sandro Ramírez to shoot from the heart of the area, but the ball went close to Pacheco's goal.
The second half started with a scare for Las Palmas. Sergi Cardona made contact with his hand inside the area, and the referee awarded a penalty. Edu Expósito's penalty hit the post, and Álvaro Valles caught Nabil's second attempt, making his first intervention.
Las Palmas responded in the 50th minute, with another shot from Cristian Herrera. The Gran Canarian left-footer took a shot in the area that went over the bar.
However, it was Espanyol who opened the scoring. Lozano scored a yellow pass in a dangerous area and beat Valles with a precise low shot, putting the score at 0-1.
Las Palmas recovered from the disadvantage, and their dominance found sense ten minutes before the end. Pejiño stole the ball in the attacking zone and found Javi Muñoz on the edge of the area. From there, the new yellow signing launched a powerful shot into the Catalan net.
However, after another steal, Espanyol mounted a successful counter-attack, which Rubén resolved with a gentle shot that hit the post before going in.
Line-ups:
Las Palmas: Aarón Escandell, Alex Suárez, Eric Curbelo, Juanma Herzog, Sergi Cardona, Loiodice, Kirian, Jonathan Viera, Moleiro, Cristian Herrera, and Sandro.
In the second half, Valles, Lemos, Coco, Enrique Clemente, Sinkgraven, Pejiño, Marc Cardona, Pau Ferrer, Benito, Javi Muñoz, and Iñaki also played.
Espanyol: Pacheco, Oscar Gil, Calero, Simo, Oliván, Pol Lozano, Edu Expósito, Sergi Darder, Jofre, Nabil, and Puado.
Substitutes: Joan García (gk), Fortuño (gk), Gómez, Miguelón, Cabrera, Bare, Dimata, Vadillo, Rubén, Gragera, Lazo, Braithwaite, Nico, Omar, Puig, Gori, and Javi Hernández.
Goals: 0-1, m. 62. Pol Lozano. 1-1, m. 80. Javi Muñoz. 1-2, m. 88. Rubén.
Referee: José Luis Guzmán Mansilla (Jaén), assisted by Ángel Valverde and Ángel Munuera. Yellow cards for Coco, Lemos (Las Palmas), Pol Lozano, Javi Hernández, and Oliván (Espanyol).
Details: The starting lineup of UD Las Palmas, RCD Espanyol, and the referee's team posed with a sign showing support for those affected by the fire in the heart of the island.
