Browne decides the duel against Alavés at the death
RCD Espanyol defeated Deportivo Alavés 1-0 with a solitary strike from Phoenetia Browne in the final play of the match. The perico forward was the MVP of the game. Sara Monforte's side head into the break on a run of four consecutive matches without defeat, with two wins and two draws.
03 OCT 2026
The home side took all three points in one of the opening matches of the sixth matchday of Liga F Moeve. The Catalan outfit started better, searching for the opening goal from the early minutes, with Sofía Fuente making a good save from a move by Lucía Vallejo, who ventured down the left flank. The rebound also came close to finding the net, but the ball went just wide of the post. For their part, Reyes, the main new addition to the Vitoria-Gasteiz team's attack, tried her luck up front. The clearest chance arrived twenty minutes into the game. A spectacular Sofía Fuente saved a powerful shot from Ona Baradad that came close to finding the back of the net. The score remained level, although neither team managed to break the deadlock.
On the counter-attack, RCD Espanyol came close to scoring with a shot from Anita Marcos that went wide, while, at the other end, Meritxell Muñoz had to intervene to block a good strike from Carmen Sobrón. The forward, who had driven into the box, came close to surprising a well-organised Espanyol defence. Before the break, Reyes tried her luck with a shot that hit the opposition defence directly. The last chance before half-time fell to Andrea Gómez. The former Granada CF player ventured a shot from midfield that went just wide of the post. After the first half, the score remained 0-0 at the end of the opening forty-five minutes.
In the second half, Sara Monforte's side tried again, looking for the opposition goal, while the visitors looked dangerous from set-pieces, but the home defence remained impenetrable. Both coaches quickly made their first substitutions to change the tempo of the match. Natalia Escot came on for the Catalan side, and Ainhoa Guallar and Laia Parera entered the field for the visitors from Vitoria-Gasteiz. A confident Sofía Fuente managed to save a good shot from the edge of the area by Paula Gutiérrez. At the other end, Nayadet Opazo tried her luck with a strike from the edge of the box that went straight into the hands of Sofía Fuente, who gathered the ball to clear the danger.
The carousel of substitutions continued with the introduction of Browne and Paula Arana for the home team, and Laura Navajas and Yorladiz Díaz for Deportivo Alavés. Both teams pushed in the final stages, looking to break the deadlock. Nayadet Opazo tried her luck with a shot that hit the Espanyol defence, and Browne also went for goal with a strike that grazed the far post. It was precisely the forward who broke the deadlock in the final play of the match. A cross from the wing by Ariadna Doménech was met by the striker at close range from the second post, making her the MVP of the clash and deciding the match. Sofía Fuente managed to get a touch on the ball, but could not prevent the 1-0 scoreline and her team's defeat.