Pique arrives at Camp Nou on a bicycle ahead of Barcelona's narrow win over Espanyol

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique started in the derby clash against Espanyol, overseeing a narrow victory at home. While there was praise for the Catalan giants in the Catalan derby, Pique made headlines before the game when he arrived at Camp Nou riding a bicycle and not in the team bus. 

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Pique rides a bicycle to Camp Nou 

A video was recently released by Movistar that filmed the arrival of Pique at Camp Nou before the game against Espanyol. In the video, Pique is seen wearing a cap while riding a bicycle along with a bag on his shoulder. He was seen speeding off inside the tunnel outside Camp Nou as he entered the stadium, while the cameras captured his arrival. Spanish media reports suggest that Pique attempted to spread the message of a pollution-free world and eco-friendly travel. 

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Two red cards, one goal define Barcelona vs Espanyol

The game between Barcelona and Espanyol marked a typical Catalan derby at Camp Nou. Despite an entertaining first half, both teams failed to break the deadlock. While Barcelona managed maximum possession throughout the 90 minutes, the two sides registered almost equal shots on target. Luis Suarez turned it up in the second half to score the only goal for Quique Setien. 

The game also saw two sending offs showcasing the level of intensity, one for either side. In the 50th minute, Barcelona striker Ansu Fati was sent off followed by a red card for Pol Lozanzo in the 53rd minute. In the 56th minute, Luis Suarez chipped the ball past Diego Lopez, with Espanyol defence unable to catch hold of the Uruguayan international. In the process, Suarez (195 goals) became Barcelona's third-highest goalscorer of all time. Interestingly, Lionel Messi (630) has more goals than the rest of the top four leading goalscorers put together.

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Espanyol relegated after defeat against Barcelona 

The defeat saw Espanyol being relegated to the second tier of the Spanish competition. This was their seventh defeat in succession, bagging a mere 24 points in 35 games. The club's relegation would have been avoided temporarily if they managed to bag a win against Barcelona. Espanyol had the opportunity to score against the defending LaLiga champions, missing the net twice. In the first instance, Marc-Andre ter Stegen produced a brilliant save, while in the second instance the ball hit the post.

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Barcelona cut Real Madrid's lead in LaLiga standings 

With the win, Barcelona have narrowed down the difference to one point with Real Madrid in LaLiga standings. However, Zinedine Zidane's side have a game in hand and could well reclaim the four-point lead if they win against Alaves on Friday (Saturday according to (IST) at Estadi Alfredo di Stefano.

Image courtesy: Barcelona Twitter