Espanyol set for spring offensive

Late goal
Argentinian defender Mauricio Pochettino finally beat substitute goalkeeper Yaniv Mizrahi with seven minutes to go, turning Raúl Tamudo's pass low past the Maccabi goalkeeper from six metres. It secured Espanyol the runners-up slot in Group B and a place in the draw for the last 32 of the UEFA Cup.

Red card
Up until then it seemed that Miguel Ángel Lotina's side might be made to pay for not taking their chances as Maccabi finally registered their first shots of the night through substitute Emile Mbamba, but Shay David's 88th-minute dismissal for a foul on Moisés ended Guy Luzon's side's hopes of a first Group B point.

Busy night
Maccabi may have considered themselves lucky to have survived for so long without conceding as goalkeeper Ohad Cohen and his 45th-minute replacement Mizrahi were kept on a constant state of alert as the home side won a succession of free-kicks and corners throughout the match.

Espanyol chances
Cohen denied Jonathan Soriano after 40 minutes and Mizrahi had to be alert to block substitute Tamudo's effort after 78 minutes. Albert Riera, Luis García, Tony Velemazán, Ferrán Corominas Telechea and Tamudo all had chances to open the scoring but failed to force either goalkeeper into a save. Pochettino was not to be denied, however, as he pocketed the winner in the 83rd minute.