Barcelona Goalkeeper Joan Garcia Shrugs Off Hostile Homecoming At Espanyol In La Liga Derby Win

Goalkeeper Joan García shrugged off the jeers and vitriol in his return to Espanyol and Barcelona teammate Fermín López set up two late goals for a 2-0 victory in a heated Catalan derby on Saturday.

Fermín assisted fellow substitutes Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski in the 86th and 90th minutes to tilt the match in favor of the La Liga leaders.

But the credit for the win went to García, who made superb saves to frustrate an Espanyol attack that dominated all but the final period.

The final score hid a superb effort by fifth-placed Espanyol. Pere Milla and Roberto Fernández drew save after save from García, who was playing his first game at Espanyol since he left the “parakeets” last summer for its top rival. His highlight came in the 39th when García used a reflex one-hand save to paw a point-blank header by Milla over his crossbar.

Espanyol went as far as installing a thin mesh barrier behind the goals at RCDE Stadium to impede any object from being thrown toward the goalie from the stands. That did not dissuade the section of the club’s most fervent young supporters from holding up signs with the image of a rat in Barcelona’s burgundy-and-blue colors while shouting at García, a former fan favorite.

Barcelona increased its lead over second-placed Real Madrid to seven points before the latter hosts Real Betis on Sunday.