Wu Lei becomes first Chinese player to score in La Liga

In his fifth appearance for Espanyol, Wu Lei earned a slice of La Liga history by becoming the first Chinese player to score in the division.

Espanyol striker Wu Lei became the first Chinese player to score in La Liga.

Wu Lei became the first Chinese player to score a goal in La Liga as Espanyol overcame Real Valladolid 3-1 at RCDE Stadium on Saturday.

China international Wu latched onto a pass from Sergi Darder and swept past Diego Lopez into the bottom-left corner to seal a 3-1 victory in his fifth appearance for the Catalan club.

The 27-year-old was the highest scoring player in the 2018 Chinese Super League season, finding the net 27 times to lead Shanghai SIPG to the title.

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Espanyol's victory sent it level with ninth-placed Valencia and Athletic Bilbao, which meets at Mestalla on Sunday, on 33 points.