Espanyol edge to Moscow victory

Clinical finish
The Spanish international broke the deadlock eight minutes after the restart, pouncing on a fine through-ball and applying a clinical finish. The strike came against the run of play, and the home side continued to dominate thereafter but for all their possession, they were unable to muster a shot to test Espanyol's redundant goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz.

Defensive lineup
Iraizoz was selected ahead of first-choice Carlos Kaméni, and Espanyol coach Miguel Ángel Lotina opted for a defensive lineup. Mauricio Pochettino was brought in to bolster the back line, coming into the middle of a five-man defence alongside Daniel Jarque González and Alberto Lopo, as the visitors looked content to sit back and absorb the pressure.

Lima influence
With Dmitri Sychev and Dmitri Loskov both sidelined, Francisco Lima took the initiative, dictating from the centre of the park, his energetic presence switching freely from defence into attack. But the final ball continually let the Russian Premier-Liga team down and they were limited to feeble efforts from Igor Lebedenko and Malkhaz Asatiani, although Aleksei Bugaev struck a superb long-range drive just wide of the upright.

Tamudo threat
At the other end, a blistering shot from Fredson Camara Pereira was spilled by Sergei Ovchinnikov, but the goalkeeper regathered before the lurking Tamudo could pounce. The Espanyol captain has made a habit of scoring vital goals in recent seasons, and did so again, seemingly out of nothing. He slipped past a defender and latched on to a Pablo Javier Zabaleta pass before squeezing his finish between post and goalkeeper from an acute angle.

Late chance
Lokomotiv attacked with increased urgency but the Espanyol defence were relatively untroubled until the final minute when Lebedenko headed centimetres over the crossbar. The Spanish side will sit out Matchday 2, when the Russians look to kick-start their campaign against US Città di Palermo in Italy.