Espanyol 0 : 3 Osasuna - Osasuna secure rare away victory

Posted Saturday, November 10, 2012 by PA

Primera Division bottom side Osasuna ended a run of five straight away defeats in emphatic style with a 3-0 win against fellow strugglers Espanyol.

Osasuna had just one win from their opening 10 league matches before this game and had lost all of their matches on their travels, yet they never looked back after taking the lead through Alvaro Cejudo midway through the first half.

The 29-year-old former Las Palmas midfielder then teed up Kike Sola in the 63rd minute before Manuel Omwu added further gloss to the scoreline 12 minutes from time.

While the emphatic win is not enough to lift Osasuna off the foot of La Liga, they are now just one point behind second-bottom Espanyol.

Los Rojillos started as they meant to go on tonight and only an instinctive save from Espanyol keeper Cristian Alvarez kept out Sola's point-blank header.

It was short respite for the hosts, however, as the league's bottom side broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute with Cejudo finding the top corner from inside the area.

Espanyol did have a couple of half chances, with Christian Stuani striking wide from close range before midfielder Joan Verdu struck a post from just outside the area.

But they found themselves two down in the 63rd minute when Cejudo's cross from the right was tapped in at the far post by Sola.

Omwu added to Espanyol's woes when he drilled past Alvarez from the edge of the area to put the result beyond any doubt.

The hosts refused to give in but Samuele Longo's header was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Andres Fernandez to ensure Osasuna finished with a clean sheet.