News
VIE 20.05.2016
12,000+ fans in the stands
Supporters showed up in droves at the Ramon Tahuichi Aguilera Stadium in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, in east-central Bolivia, keen to see a LaLiga team in action live. More than 12,000 fans were in attendance for a game that was full of excitement and they showed their passion throughout, bowling over the RCD Espanyol players with their endless cheering and chanting.
Academy graduate Rufo steals the show
Espanyol's prolific academy is well known and is full of players with rich potential. Just ask Ruben Herraiz, or Rufo as he is known by his friends and those who saw him come up through the ranks at the Pericos. The forward nabbed the Man of the Match honours with a goal and a great all-round performance in his side's 3-1 win.
Ciani opens his account
Michael Ciani, who joined the Catalan outfit last summer, broke his goalscoring duck against Club Blooming. The French defender made two appearances in both the Liga BBVA and the Copa del Rey during the regular season, but was unable to get his name on the scoresheet, so he will be delighted to have done so during the first match on the club's post-season LaLiga World tour.
The home of four clubs
Interestingly, the Ramon Tahuichi Aguilera, where the game was staged, is not just where Espanyol's opponents on the day, Blooming, play their fixtures in Santa Cruz. In fact, it is the stomping ground of all the city's professional teams. As well as Blooming, fellow top-flight clubs Destroyers and Oriente Petrolero call the stadium home, as do lower-league Club Deportivo Universidad Cruceña (better known simply as Universidad), so the venue hosts more than its fair share of derbies.
Home-grown talent on display
No fewer than seven players who were developed at the Espanyol academy or honed their skills with Espanyol B were given the nod by Constantin Galca to fly the flag and show what the club is all about on its first visit to Bolivia. Besides Rufo, Roberto Correa, Victor Alvarez, Cristian Galas, Joan Jordan, Mamadou Sylla and Gerard Moreno all got a taste of the action.
Keep up to date with all the latest from Espanyol's LaLiga World tour here
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