La Liga: Chinese forward Wu Lei plays first full game for Espanyol

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Espanyol's Chinese forward Wu Lei has become the first Chinese footballer to play a full game in La Liga history during Espanyol's 1-1 draw with SD Huesca at home on Friday.

For Wu's first three games, he substituted in at the 77th and 34th minute marks respectively in the matches against Villarreal and Rayo Vallecano, and in the third match, he started up and was substituted in at the 72nd minute. Playing a full game in his fourth appearance is a sign of his progress on the team.

In the third draw that Wu faced, Esteban Granero scored the opener with a beautiful free-kick in front of the left penalty area at the 20th minute, but Xabier Etxeita leveled for the visitors once the second half began.

Wu Lei (R) of Espanyol in action during the La Liga match between RCD Espanyol and SD Huesca at RCDE Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, February 22, 2019. /VCG Photo

The left-wing Wu shot three times during the game including one on the left post at the 62nd minute – which was probably the reason why the coach let him stay on the pitch until the end. He also made several corner opportunities for Espanyol with positive actions near the goal.

While his performance has improved, the newcomer still has a lot of things to learn, as he wasted some passes due to ineffective communication with his teammates, and his stamina should be improved if he wants to have more full-game appearances.

For other two days of La Liga Round 25, there will be Getafe vs. Rayo Vallecano, Sevilla vs. Barcelona, Deportivo Alaves vs. Celta Vigo and Athletic Bilbao vs. Eibar on Saturday; Leganes vs. Valencia, Atletico Madrid vs. Villarreal, Real Valladolid vs. Real Betis and Levante vs. Real Madrid on Sunday.