Edu Expósito Hits 100 Espanyol Appearances — And Finally Breaks His Goal Drought
Edu Expósito reached a century of Espanyol appearances off the bench at the Metropolitano, marking the milestone with his first goal in over a year.
A bittersweet night at the Metropolitano for Espanyol, but one man gave the travelling faithful something to genuinely smile about — even if the scoreline didn’t.
A rough night for the Pericos
Let’s not sugarcoat it: Espanyol got properly done at the Metropolitano. Atlético de Madrid were too much for Manolo González’s side, and the familiar defensive frailties that have haunted them all season showed up again. The final score of 4-2 tells its own story — a team that tried to compete but kept shooting themselves in the foot at the back.
González made a few changes to his lineup, which meant Edu Expósito started the game on the bench rather than in his usual spot in the middle of the park.
The main event: 100 up for Edu
Here’s where it gets a bit more feel-good. When Expósito came on in the second half, it was his 100th appearance in Espanyol colours — a proper milestone for a player who arrived from Eibar and has quietly become one of the most important figures at the club, both in the dressing room and on the pitch.
And he marked it in style:
- First goal of the season, struck with his left foot from the edge of the box
- A finish so clean that Jan Oblak — one of the best keepers on the planet — had absolutely no chance
- It made the score 4-2 in the closing stages
Breaking a long, long drought
What makes the goal even more noteworthy is the context. It wasn’t just his first of this season — Expósito hadn’t scored in the whole of last season either, going 38 league games without finding the net. That’s a serious dry spell for any midfielder, and he’ll be well chuffed to have finally put that behind him.
But here’s the thing — nobody at Espanyol was losing sleep over his goal record, because that’s never really been his game:
- He’s the best passer in the squad
- Consistently one of La Liga’s top creators for assists
- The kind of deep-lying organiser that makes everyone around him better
Goals are a bonus. The bloke runs the show regardless.
The bigger picture
Espanyol are still in a difficult spot in La Liga, and the defensive problems aren’t going away on their own. But having a player like Expósito — now a century into his Espanyol journey — as your heartbeat in midfield is no small thing. On a night when most things went wrong, he gave the fans a moment worth remembering.
One hundred games, one long-overdue goal. Not a bad way to celebrate.