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Action from the match between Al
Wasl Sports Club (yellow) and Espanyol. ©Gulf
Gulf News - After
four telling defeats in the Spanish Premier League this season 2000 King's
Cup champions RCD Espanyol de Barcelona were in serious need of a lift and
they got it in small measure yesterday when defeating Al Wasl Club in a
one-off friendly game on Sunday played under lights.
The host team clearly lacked the strength in depth to cope with the
Spanish side and though they briefly held their own, as the visitors
struggled to adjust to the hot and humid conditions, it was always going
to be a one-sided contest.
Goals from Espanyol's Argen-tinian striker Maxi Rodriguez (42nd minute)
and Daniel Jarque (48th minute) sufficed to reduce Al Wasl to a team of
faltering players, though their $500,000 Iranian import Farhad Majidi at
times looked like he would salvage something for the hosts.
After the match, Espanyol coach Juan de la Cruz Ramos, who is reportedly
facing the axe following their dismal form this season in the Spanish
Premier League which has resulted in the side scoring just one point from
five games, said he was happy with the whole Dubai experience.
"We came here to rediscover ourselves and we have succeeded to do
that," he said. "We always believed that we could win, that was
not the issue, but we wanted to test ourselves against an unknown team.
"We have heard that the Dubai teams are very competitive and that was
what caught our attention. I like the way the Al Wasl team play and with a
little more experience I think they can be a good side and come up to
European standards."
He advised that the team focus on their fitness and individual skills.
Interestingly skills were at a premium in yesterday's friendly watched by
an unusually small crowd of soccer fans at the Al Wasl Stadium.
The all important first goal was scored after a long spell and it was just
barely bundled in by Maxi Rodriguez who followed up on a 25-yard
piledriver from Juvenal Owono that floored Al Wasl goalkeeper Salah
Hussain after he parried the speeding ball on the goalline.
This came just seven minutes after Al Wasl striker Ali Essa came painfully
close to opening the scoring when he right-footed a pass from Farhad
straight into the Espanyol keeper Sergio Sanchez.
After the break the visitors began in imperious fashion and quickly added
their second from a set piece two minutes after resumption.
Shortly before he was substituted Juvenal produced the perfect flag-kick
that found an unmarked Daniel Jarque who rose high above the Al Wasl
defenders to head the ball into the net.
Thereafter Espanyol had numerous clear-cut opportunities to add to the
score but the replacement strikers Luis Miguel Garcia and Marc Bertran
lacked both the direction and capacity to do so.
The result did not disconcert the Al Wasl players to the extent of
attempting anything that goes against their ingrained good habits on the
field as they gave a fine exhibition of friendly soccer played in a most
competitive fashion.
Overall there seemed a hesitancy about both teams, with the exception of
the outstanding Farhad of Al Wasl and Espanyol's former FC Barcelona
player Antonio Velamazan, which perhaps was a result of the high humidity
on the evening.
Espanyol are a three-time Spanish Cup winner who finished 10th in the
Spanish Premier League last season. They are currently lying at the bottom
of the 20-team league having lost four of their five games, which include
identical 2-0 defeats to Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
They return home tomorrow and play Hueva at home on Sunday. It is rumoured
that a defeat will result in the axing of coach Juan Ramos who has been
with the team for the last two seasons. |
