Deportivo Alavés took a significant step away from relegation trouble after coming from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium. The result, shared by the club’s official X account, ended Alavés’ long away drought and came just days after build-up coverage of Espanyol’s desire to respond positively at home, as highlighted in their pre-match preview against Alavés on SoftFootball.
Espanyol began the contest with purpose and were rewarded in the 15th minute when Roberto Fernández rose highest to head home from Carlos Romero’s precise delivery. The hosts looked confident early on, but Alavés gradually settled and showed resilience that had been questioned in recent weeks.
Their growing belief mirrored themes from SoftFootball’s recent analysis of Alavés’ season struggles and flashes of fight, including their narrow defeat to Real Madrid, which suggested the team was closer to turning performances into points.
The equaliser arrived in the 27th minute through Antonio Blanco, who reacted quickest on the edge of the box after Marko Dmitrović failed to clear his lines. Blanco kept his composure, drilling a low effort through a crowd and into the net to restore parity before the break.
With possession evenly split, the game remained finely balanced heading into the second half. Caution initially defined the restart, but Alavés began to find space on the counter.
Their decisive moment came in the 71st minute when Toni Martínez capitalised on a defensive lapse from Leandro Cabrera and squared for Lucas Boyé, who made no mistake from close range.
Espanyol pushed late on and thought they had levelled through Kike García, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Alavés defended bravely in the closing stages, with Antonio Sivera producing key saves to protect the lead.
The win moves them four points clear of the relegation zone and snaps an eight-game winless away run, while Espanyol’s frustrating start to 2026 continues with their winless streak stretching to five matches.
