A 3-2 final victory in La Liga proved the biggest dark horse, Wu Lei s old club won 3 wins and 1 draw to catch up with Barcelona

Who doesn’t eat dumplings during the Chinese New Year?

2024-25 season, Espanyol almost relegated.

As the saying goes, if you survive a great disaster, you will have good fortune in the future!

In the early morning of September 16, in the fourth round of the La Liga, Espanyol played against Mallorca at home.

Before the game, Espanyol won two wins and one draw, and their condition was quite good in the new season. Mallorca drew and lost two losses, and their condition was bad.

Espanyol's advantage was not obvious throughout the game, with only 38% possession rate, three corner kicks, nine shots, three shots, and two hits to the goal frame. Mallorca's performance was even more crazy, with a 62% possession rate, nine corner kicks, 24 shots, and 10 shots. Espanyol shot three times and Mallorca shot ten times and eight of them were saved. Espanyol goalkeeper Dmitrovic made great contributions. At the beginning of the game, Espanyol also showed good shape and scored two goals in the first half.

In the 20th minute, Carlos Romero assisted and Peremilia broke the deadlock. In the 34th minute, Dolan assisted, Roberto Fernandez expanded the score, and Espanyol led with two goals, and the situation was very good.

In the 45th minute, Mallorca got a penalty kick, and Vedat Muric scored a penalty kick in one go. In the 45th and 3rd minute, Peremilla, who broke the deadlock, was sent off by a red card for a foul and verbal attack. At the end of the half, Espanyol led 2-1, but one person was missing on the field.

In the 65th minute, Sel defeated Dadel to assist, Vedat Muric scored twice, and Mallorca equalized the score.

In the 81st minute, Espanyol got a penalty kick. 35-year-old veteran Kike Garcia withstood the pressure and scored a penalty kick, helping the team score a winning goal.

In the end, Espanyol beat Majorca 3-2 at home, and remained unbeaten in four rounds of the new season, catching up with Barcelona in the standings. Both sides had 10 points. Espanyol ranked third with a disadvantage of fewer goals, and La Liga giants Barcelona ranked second.

So far this season, four rounds have been held. In the first round of the game, Espanyol showed resilience and reversed Atletico Madrid 2-1 at home. In the second round, Espanyol played 2-2 away, and in the third round, Espanyol played 1-0 at home. In the fourth round, everyone knows that Espanyol beat Majorca 3-2 at home, and was completed under a very passive situation. Espanyol became more stable and mature, and its attack power has been much stronger than before.

This 3-2 finale also tested the biggest dark horse in La Liga, so of course it must be Wu Lei's old club Espanyol.

As the saying goes, the geese leave their voices, and the people leave their names behind. Wu Lei also created his own glory during his time with the Spaniards.

From 2019 to the summer of 2022, Wu Lei played for Espanyol for 3 and a half seasons, played 126 times, scored 16 goals and assisted 6 times. Especially in his first season of joining, Wu Lei once firmly took up the position of the main striker and helped Espanyol qualify for the UEFA Cup.

In addition, Wu Lei also represented Espanyol in the derby, breaking the goal of the La Liga giants Barcelona, ​​which can be regarded as the highest moment of his overseas career.

Since Wu Lei left, Espanyol has been in a slump, relegated in the 2022-23 season, promoted to La Liga in the 2024-25 season, and struggled to relegate.

In the 2025-26 season, Espanyol seemed to be reborn. In the first four rounds of La Liga, three wins and one draw, they remained unbeaten. They caught up with the giant team Barcelona in the standings, only 2 points less than the leader Real Madrid, ranking third with a goal difference.

In the 2024-25 season, Espanyol was still a promoted player, earning 42 points in 38 games, almost relegated! Leganes was relegated 40 points, and Espanyol was only 2 points higher than the relegation zone. The road to relegation is also thrilling. Fans exclaimed, escaping from death!

Now as a second-year freshman, Espanyol has become the biggest dark horse in La Liga. Wu Lei's old club Phoenix has been reborn and has been chasing Barcelona in the standings.

Although the current situation of the Spaniards is very good, the future path is difficult, after all, there are lessons from the past! Girona has also made great achievements, leading La Liga and successfully entering the Champions League, but now he is deeply trapped in the relegation zone.