Espanyol Crashes Into Deportivo's Wall, Settles for Scoreless Draw at RCDE Stadium

Nine corner kicks, four shots on target and nearly 64 percent possession weren't enough for Espanyol to break the deadlock against Deportivo de A Coruna in a 0-0 draw at the RCDE Stadium. It was a match filled with stoppages, with 27 fouls split between the two sides and no team finding the net across 90 minutes plus stoppage time.

The home side's control was evident from the opening minutes. Roberto Fernandez tested the goalkeeper in the 10th minute with a header that was saved low, and shortly after, Alejandro Santiago forced a save into the top corner off a cross from Tyrhys Dolan. Deportivo de A Coruna answered with the discipline that has served it well this season: Lorenzo Amatucci had the visitors' best chance of the first half, a right-footed effort that drifted "just wide" of the left post after an assist from Luismi Cruz.

A Second Half of Pressure Without Reward

After the break, Antonio Hidalgo wasted no time making changes, bringing on Diego Villares and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Luismi Cruz and Yeremay Hernandez right at the start of the half. Espanyol kept pushing and created isolated chances: Edu Exposito tried his luck from outside the box in the 53rd minute, Cala had a shot blocked in the 56th, and Pere Milla, before being substituted, headed wide in the 69th minute with no real direction on goal. In the closing stretch, as fatigue opened up the game, Roberto Fernandez and Marcos Fernandez both had shots blocked or saved inside the box, but the scoreline held.

The match also produced yellow cards for Luismi Cruz, Roberto Fernandez, Leandro Cabrera (for a handball), Alejandro Santiago, Diego Villares, Lorenzo Amatucci, Gabriel Moscardo and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a reflection of the physical intensity late on more than any clear-cut chances.

What the Numbers Say

The distribution of chances also shows up in the expected goals tally calculated after the fact from the match's shots: 0.94 for Espanyol compared to 0.665 for Deportivo de A Coruna. Those numbers confirm an evenly matched game in terms of real danger, with no clear-cut chances for the home side according to the official count, and two for the visitors.

The result also stands in contrast to what was projected before kickoff. In our preview, we gave Espanyol a 40% chance of winning, a 32% chance of a draw and a 28% chance of a Deportivo de A Coruna victory, with expected goals of 1.23 for the home side and 1.01 for the visitors, for a total of 2.24. The draw did end up being the result, but without the goals that projection suggested: neither team converted its volume of play into a goal.

What It Means for the Standings

With this draw, Espanyol stays on 12 points from 12 matches played, sitting in 13th place, while Deportivo de A Coruna moves to 15 points from its 12 matches and sits in 8th, with just a 3-point gap between the two clubs. Neither side picked up what it may have hoped for at home or on the road, but Deportivo de A Coruna leaves with the sense of having weathered a match in which it was clearly outplayed in possession and shots without conceding a blow.