Ansu Fati could escape a three-match ban after red card

There was drama in the early part of the second half in the game between Barcelona and Españyol as two players were sent off, with each side having a man sent off.

Barcelona youngster, Ansu Fati, was only a 46th-minute substitute for Nelson Semedo, but he barely spent up to 4 minutes on the pitch before he was sent off for a high tackle.

It is likely that Ansu Fati will just receive a one match ban for his red card in the match against Espanyol. The Barcelona youngster was initially shown a yellow card, but was later given a red card after VAR made it clear to the referee that Fati’s challenge was worse than he had initially thought.

According the rules, he is supposed to miss only one match, but if the player shows intent to injure the player, then he is going to miss three matches. For now, Fati will likely miss a single game and return the squad that faces Osasuna next week.

Also in the Espanyol match, barely two minutes later, in the 52nd minute, Pol Lozano was sent off from the pitch as well as Españyol were reduced to ten men.

At that point, the encounter was goalless after a 0-0 scoreline at half time, but it wasn’t long before Luis Suarez gave Barcelona the lead in the game.

He becomes Barcelona’s third-highest goalscorer behind Lionel Messi with 630 goals and Rodriguez Alvarez with 232 goals.

The match ended 1-0 as Barcelona temporarily reduces the Real Madrid gap to one point, although Españyol are now relegated from the Spanish top flight for the first time since 1994.

Real Madrid plays on Friday, and should they get a win against their Alaves, they could bring the gap back to four points. With three matches left to play, Españyol are rock bottom on the table and are 11 points away from safety with just 24 points gathered all season. The defeat on Wednesday night their sixth consecutive La Liga defeat.

The last time Espanyol were relegated from La Liga was 1992-93, although they were promoted the next season.

Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu