Martin Braithwaite didn’t have to go far to start showing his worth again in Spain.
Making his debut with Espanyol after leaving city rivals Barcelona, the Danish forward came through with his team’s winning goal in a 1-0 victory against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Sunday.
It was Espanyol’s first victory of the season, and Braithwaite’s first goal in more than a year.
Braithwaite was among the players Barcelona let go from their squad in the transfer window to make more salary cap room for new signings, including Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.
The 31-year-old forward scored with a low shot from inside the area after getting past two defenders in a breakaway in the 83rd minute at Athletic’s San Mames Stadium.
Braithwaite’s move to Espanyol should help him secure a spot in Denmark’s squad for the World Cup in Qatar.
Espanyol were coming off consecutive home losses to Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano after opening with a draw at Celta Vigo.
“We finally got the reward that had escaped us in the first matches,” Espanyol coach Diego Martinez said.
Bilbao were unbeaten and seeking a third consecutive victory.
Striker Inaki Williams, who was born in Spain but is set to play the World Cup for Ghana, recovered from a leg injury to make his league-record 237 consecutive appearance.
Elsewhere, Unai Emery’s Villarreal stayed unbeaten in the league and went third with a 4-0 home rout against winless Elche.
Gerard Moreno, Giovani Lo Celso, Francis Coquelin and Jose Luis Morales scored to give the hosts their third win in four league matches.
Valencia ended a two-game losing streak with a 5-1 rout of second-last Getafe and Osasuna defeated Rayo Vallecano 2-1 at home for their third victory in four matches.
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