In order to begin proving his value once again in Spain, Martin Braithwaite did not have to go very far. The Denmark front made his debut with Espanyol on Sunday, making his debut after leaving city rival Barcelona.
In his club’s 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish league on Sunday, Denmark forward came through with the winning goal for his team.
Braithwaite’s First Goal in More Than a Year
It was Braithwaite’s first goal in more than a year, dating back to a league game with Barcelona against Real Sociedad in August 2021. The win was Espanyol’s first of the season, and it was Espanyol’s first victory overall. Since then, he has participated in only four games for the Catalan club, the most recent of which was in the month of March.
Braithwaite was one of the players that Barcelona decided to let loose from its roster during the transfer window. This was done so that the club could free up more salary cap space for its incoming players, such as Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.
At Athletic’s San Mamés Stadium, the attacker, who is 31 years old, scored with a low shot from inside the area after going past two players in a breakaway in the 83rd minute. The strike came after the forward, who was on a breakaway.
The transfer of Braithwaite to Espanyol should make it easier for him to earn a berth in Denmark’s World Cup team for the tournament in Qatar.
After starting the season with a draw against Celta Vigo, Espanyol’s home record was 0-2 after suffering defeats at the hands of Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano.
The undefeated Athletic team was looking to win three in a row for the first time ever. The squad from Basque Country had not yet allowed an opponent to score while tallying five goals.
Inaki Williams, a striker for Athletic who was born in Spain but will compete in the World Cup for Ghana, overcame a leg injury to establish a new record for consecutive appearances in a single league season with his 237th straight game.
Osasuna Rolls
Osasuna bounced back from its setback at Real Betis by posting a victory at home against Rayo Vallecano by a score of 2-1 to earn its third win in its last four outings.
Aimar Oroz and Rubén Garc scored for the home side in the second half, while Florian Lejeune scored for Rayo despite his club being down by two goals at the time.
After starting the season with a win on the road against Espanyol and a draw at the Camp Nou against Barcelona, Rayo has now suffered back-to-back defeats.
Villarreal Hosts Elche and Valencia Hosts Getafe
On Saturday, the defending champion Madrid won a home match against Betis by a score of 2-1 to become the only side in the league with four wins to open the season. Betis was the only other club to win all three of its matches in the tournament.
In other matches on Saturday, Barcelona continued its winning streak with a 3-0 triumph over Sevilla in Seville, while Atletico Madrid was held to a 1-1 draw away at Sociedad.
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