Racing Santander claimed a hard-fought 2-1 win over RCD Espanyol on Saturday, with Moroccan forward Yassir Zabiri once again delivering in the clutch. The Atlas Lions international struck the winning goal five minutes from time, taking his La Liga tally to eight goals this season.
The first half produced little in the way of clear chances, with both sides cancelling each other out in a cagey, tightly contested affair. The deadlock was finally broken in the second period, when Espanyol struck first through a swift counter-attack launched by Javi Hernández and finished off by Edu Expósito, who beat the Racing defense with a composed finish.
Santander’s response came quickly. Just five minutes after falling behind, Belocian leveled the score with a powerful, angled strike, lifting the spirits of a home crowd that had watched its team stumble through a run of disappointing results. For a while, the match looked destined to end in a share of the points, until Zabiri took center stage.
Rising to the occasion from a corner kick, the 21-year-old Moroccan forward turned home the decisive finish inside the box, sealing a win that pulls Racing back into the midtable pack. The strike continues a remarkable run of form for Zabiri, who was playing in Spain’s second division only months ago before establishing himself as one of the standout performers of this La Liga season, now knocking on the door of the competition’s top scoring charts.
For Espanyol, the defeat further weakens the position of coach Manolo González, who was already under pressure following a string of mixed results. The Catalan side failed to protect its early lead and left Cantabria empty-handed, extending the uncertainty hanging over the club’s bench.
Buoyed by the win, Racing Santander now turns its attention to a historic fixture: next Sunday, the Cantabrian club will host Real Madrid at El Sardinero for the first time in fourteen years, a clash that promises an electric atmosphere around a team riding the wave of its in-form Moroccan striker.
