Luuk De Jong has saved Barcelona from their first defeat against Espanyol since 2009, scoring the 2: 2 equalizer in the spirit of the dramatic Catalan derby on Sunday.

Espanyol had reversed the score thanks to goals from Sergi Darder and Raul de Tomas, as Pedri had given Barcelona the upper hand early in the match, and when he thought he had achieved his first victory in 2022, reserve De Jong took the stage to save Barca .

It was a tense derby at the end, with Barcelona’s Gerard Pique and Espanyol’s Nico Melamed being sent off in extra time due to a scuffle.

Xavi’s team dominated the home team, which has not won against Barca since 2009, but failed to increase or maintain the lead created by Pedri in the 2nd minute.

Darder equalized 1: 1 for Espanyol in the 40th minute, when they beat goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen with a fantastic shot from outside the area.

He then found De Tomas with a long pass, who escaped the visitors’ dormant defense to beat the German goalkeeper one-on-one and give Espanyol the lead for the first time in this meeting shortly after the scorpions scored an hour game.

De Jong, who came on in place of Pedri in the 89th minute, headed in the sixth extra minute, after a perfect cross by Adama Traore, scoring a point for Xavi’s team.

Barcelona remains in fourth place now with 39 points, as much as Atletico Madrid has in fifth place and four less than Betis in third place, which has a more developed match than the two clubs in question.

Espanyol is 13th with 28 points, eight points away from relegation.