According to a report by BBC Sport on Friday, October 30, 2026, Villarreal suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Espanyol in their LaLiga meeting at the Estadio de la Cerámica.

Villarreal started the encounter with confidence and enjoyed more possession as they tried to take control of proceedings, but they struggled to turn their dominance into clear scoring opportunities. Espanyol remained organised at the back and did a good job of stopping the home side from finding enough space in dangerous areas.

The hosts also suffered an early setback when Gerard Moreno was forced off with an injury in the 18th minute, making way for Nicolas Pepe. Villarreal continued to push forward, but their attempts to break down the visitors' defence did not produce the desired result before the half-time whistle.

Espanyol thought they had taken the lead in the 49th minute when Roberto Fernandez found the net, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review because of an earlier foul. The visitors did not allow that decision to affect their confidence, and they eventually found the breakthrough in the 60th minute.

Bryan Zaragoza delivered a good cross into the box, and Leandro Cabrera finished with his right foot to put Espanyol ahead. Villarreal responded by increasing the pressure and bringing on fresh attacking options, but Espanyol defended well and refused to give their opponents an easy route back into the match.

The home side had 63 per cent possession by the final whistle, yet they could not find an equaliser despite their late efforts. The defeat leaves Villarreal in 10th position on the LaLiga table with 12 points, while Espanyol move up to 12th place with 11 points after securing all three points away from home.