Athletic Bilbao missed out on the chance to close the gap on the top two in La Liga as they were held to a 1-1 draw at struggling Espanyol on Sunday in a match that was temporarily stopped because of racist chanting. In the 16th minute, referee Cuadra Fernandez was forced to activate the anti-racism protocol for insults to Bilbao forward Maroan Sannadi and reported by his teammate Inaki Williams. The match was interrupted for three minutes and a message was communicated over the public address system for fans to stop shouting expletives. 

The referee warned that the next time the match would be stopped. 

“This type of thing shouldn’t happen. This is not the first time this has happened here. The referee acted very well. We must punish the culprits,” said Williams.

When the game restarted, Roberto Fernandez put Espanyol ahead in the 62nd minute but Oihan Sancet, who scored a hat-trick in the win over Girona last weekend, levelled 15 minutes later. 

It was hardly a satisfying result for either side. 

On Saturday, Bilbao saw leaders Real Madrid and second-placed Atletico Madrid both held to draws. 

Their own draw means they remain fourth, three points behind Barcelona, who host Rayo Vallecano on Monday and six behind Real. 

Espanyol will rue the two dropped points but still climb out of the relegation zone. They are now 15th on 24 points, just one ahead of 18th-placed Valencia, the first team in the relegation places.

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