MX23RW : Tuesday, November 5 03:37:01| >> :120:8737:8737:
[monks data]
Attendance: 23,287
Espanyol logo
La Liga
Feb 4, 2018 at 3.15pm UK
 
Barcelona logo

1-1

Moreno (66')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Pique (82')

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique stands by Espanyol gesture

Barca's Pique stands by Espanyol gesture
© SilverHub
Gerard Pique remains unapologetic after hushing Espanyol supporters as he celebrated scoring Barcelona's equaliser in a 1-1 draw at the Cornella-El Prat on Sunday.

Gerard Pique has stood by his 'hushing' celebration following his equaliser in Barcelona's 1-1 draw at Espanyol on Sunday.

The 31-year-old's gesture came after the Catalan club reported him to the Royal Spanish Football Federation for referring to them as "Espanyol from Cornella" in January.

Cornella is a suburb of Barcelona, where the club's Cornella-El Prat stadium is based, and Pique's implication was that Espanyol do not deserve to be considered Barca's rivals.

Lionel Messi came off the bench to cross for Pique's 83rd-minute header, which cancelled out Gerard Moreno's opener and kept Barca's unbeaten La Liga record intact.

"Celebrating the goal was special after everything that's happened in the last week," the Spain defender is quoted by Sky Sports News as saying after the game.

"Some of the fans here have been directing insults at me and my family for a long time. I was telling them, in general, to be quiet, but maybe I shouldn't have. I know a lot of good Espanyol fans. Maybe it should have been directed at the club or its owners for not reporting certain things.

"They are from Cornella, like I said the other day. I know it hurt them and I used sarcasm to annoy them but saying they play in Cornella is not disrespectful, it's a fact. They complain about that and report me, but they don't investigate insults towards my family. That is disrespectful. The least I could do was bring silence to the Espanyol fans."

Barca overcame Espanyol by a 2-1 aggregate scoreline in the quarter-finals of this season's Copa del Rey.

ID:317979: cacheID:317979:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2905:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Neymar in action for Paris Saint-Germain on November 22, 2017
Read Next:
Barcelona chief laments Neymar attitude
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1.15am
Buccaneers
@
Chiefs
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona12110140112933
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Celta Vigo125161820-216
11Real Sociedad124351010015
12GironaGirona124351517-215
13Sevilla124351217-515
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe12174810-210
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!