Racing Santander Comeback Beats Espanyol 2-1 and Sends Visitors Into Bottom Three

Racing Santander beat Espanyol 2-1 at El Sardinero on 24 October 2026, and the Racing Santander vs Espanyol result ended a poor run for the home side.

Edu Exposito put Espanyol ahead in the 61st minute with a deflected effort. Jeanuel Belocian levelled in the 68th minute, and Yassir Zabiri scored the winner from close range in the 84th minute, taking his tally for the season to eight goals.

Racing ended a run of three defeats and a draw. The win lifted Racing to 12th on 11 points.

Espanyol slipped into the bottom three, 18th on 8 points from 10 games.

Match details

Detail	Figure
Opening goal scorer	Edu Exposito
Opening goal minute	61
Equaliser	Jeanuel Belocian
Equaliser minute	68
Winner	Yassir Zabiri
Winner minute	84
Racing points	11
Espanyol points	8

How the late comeback took shape

A match that stays level for a long time can turn on one moment, and this match followed that pattern for more than an hour. Espanyol took the lead in the 61st minute, and a deflected effort gave the visitors a reward for patience in a tight game at El Sardinero. Racing had to decide at that point whether to stay calm or to chase the game with urgency, and the choice mattered because a second goal for the visitors would have made a comeback far harder. The home side kept shape, kept pressing in the right areas, and waited for a chance to change the score.

The equaliser in the 68th minute gave Racing a clear lift, because a goal soon after falling behind can stop doubt from settling in a team. Jeanuel Belocian levelled the score, and the home crowd had a reason to believe again after a run of three defeats and a draw. From that moment, the balance of the match changed, because Racing no longer had to chase the game from behind, and Espanyol had to defend a result that had looked safe only a few minutes earlier. The final part of the match became a test of nerve, and the team that stayed brave in attack had the best chance to find a winner.

Why the final minutes changed the mood

The winner in the 84th minute showed why late goals carry such weight in a close match. Yassir Zabiri scored from close range, and the goal turned a draw into a win for Racing in the closing minutes. A late winner also changes the mood in a dressing room, because players leave the pitch with proof that patience and belief can turn a difficult game around. For a team that had lost three matches and drawn one before this game, that feeling matters even more, because it breaks a pattern and gives the next training week a different energy.

The tally of eight goals for Zabiri this season adds another layer to the story, because a forward in form gives a team a clear threat in tight games. When a match stays level or a team trails by one goal, the presence of a scorer who can finish from close range changes how the other team defends. Opponents must stay close to the danger, and that attention can open space for other players in the final third. Racing did not need a long spell of control to win this match, because two late goals in the space of 16 minutes were enough to turn the result around and to reward a strong finish.

What the result means and what comes next

For Racing, the win lifts the team to 12th place on 11 points, and that position gives the season a steadier base after a poor run. Three defeats and a draw can damage belief, and a comeback win at home is one of the best ways to repair that damage. The result also shows that Racing can stay in a match after falling behind, which is a useful trait over a long season, because few teams win every match from the front. If the team can repeat the calm and the late energy from this game, the next matches become a chance to climb further, rather than a fight to stop a slide.

For Espanyol, the defeat sends the team into the bottom three, in 18th place on 8 points from 10 games, and that position brings clear pressure. A lead in the 61st minute should have been a base for at least a point, and losing from that position will hurt, because the team had the game in a strong place with less than half an hour left. The next task is to learn from the late collapse without losing belief, because the season still has time to turn around. Tight defending in the final minutes, better control of the ball under pressure, and a calmer response after conceding will be vital if Espanyol are to climb out of the bottom three.

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