News
FRI 20.05.2016
RCD Espanyol made a winning start to their tour of Bolivia, which they have embarked on in conjunction with the LaLiga World international initiative. Constantin Galca's charges' 3-1 victory over Club Blooming saw them lift the Copa Cine Center trophy.
An extremely colourful atmosphere was served up by the 12,000 people who flocked to the Ramon Tahuichi Aguilera Stadium in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, in a demonstration of how eagerly received Espanyol and LaLiga have been in the city and in Bolivia in general. The crowd kept chanting continuously, scarcely pausing for breath, and all this contributed to what truly felt like a special occasion for the fans and players alike.
Espanyol took the lead in the first half courtesy of French centre-back Michael Ciani's towering header, but the hosts hit back through Carlos Saucedo. Academy graduate Ruben Herraiz, aka Rufo, fired the Catalans ahead again after the interval, before Mamadou Sylla sealed the victory a few minutes later. Rufo's superb display was enough to earn him the Man of the Match award, which he was presented with by Fernando Sanz, LaLiga's managing director for MENA and director of international projects.
"The LaLiga World project serves to bring LaLiga to countries where it had never been before and that's why we're in Bolivia, with a Spanish team playing here for the first time," Sanz noted.
Having played their first match on Bolivian soil, the Espanyol squad will continue with the other activities that have been organised as part of the LaLiga World programme, which aims to promote the image of LaLiga overseas. The second game of their tour comes this Saturday night at 19:00 local time (01:00 Spanish time) in Cochabamba, against Club Bolivar.
© LALIGA - 2016