Espanyol boss Quique Sanchez Flores admitted Eibar’s 3-0 lead at half-time “was inexplicable” but was confident his side’s comeback marked “a turning point”.
Three Eibar goals in the latter half of the first period stunned the Espanyol faithful, but Los Periquitos pulled out all the stops after the break for a dramatic 3-3 draw as Leo Baptistao struck in stoppage time.
“Although it’s not exactly the result we wanted, we needed a turning point and this draw can be key mentally,” the Coach said after the game.
“The fans spurred the team on and that left me feeling calm.
“I think we were having our best 20 minutes of the season, but things became complicated. I hoped for something like this, that in the final minutes we could make the situation a positive one.
“We managed to pick up a point, which is what we wanted if we didn’t win. Anything that isn’t a loss is positive.
“We’re ready to compete, but the 0-3 at half-time was inexplicable.
“We controlled everything, had chances and put Eibar on the back foot, but then came their goal and defensive misjudgements.
“After the own goal, everything became very negative and uncomfortable for us. We then recovered our sensations and had to paddle a lot.
“We wanted to win and didn’t succeed, so the result leaves us in this take-off situation, but we’re on the exit ramp, preparing for take-off.
“Demichelis? He’s worked very hard to get to this level. He has great experience and he’ll come good.”
