By Gareth Vincent
South Wales Evening Post

Swansea City were well beaten in the battle for the Palamos Prawn, yet there were signs of promise as they gear up for the big fish of the Championship.

Espanyol came through a difficult first-half examination with an advantage they barely merited before stepping away from Roberto Martinez's team after the break to secure a comfortable 4-0 win.

And so it was the Spanish top-flight side who lifted the giant metal shrimp on offer to the winners of this pre-season friendly.

But Swansea had not disgraced themselves, and there were reasons to be cheerful despite the one-sided scoreline.

Martinez had spoken in the build-up of how this game gave Swansea a chance to enhance their growing reputation in his homeland thanks to the presence of live Catalan TV cameras.

Yet he resisted the temptation to play his strongest hand, opting instead to field two separate sides in either half.

Each Swansea line-up featured around half the players who are the early favourites to start at Charlton in a fortnight's time.

Espanyol also shuffled their pack, with five of their first-choice stars on parade at kick-off last night.

Centre-back Daniel Jarque is said to be attracting interest from Real Madrid, while Luis Garcia, a reported £10million summer target for Spurs, was fit to support fellow Spanish international Raul Tamudo in attack.

Espanyol old boys Albert Serran and Fede Bessone started for the tourists along with Jordi Gomez, the midfielder who is just beginning a season-long loan at Swansea from the Barcelona club.

The joke among the natives in the press box was that Martinez's men should now be known 'Swanspanyol' thanks to the manager's penchant for Espanyol players.

But after a shaky opening, it was the men let go by Espanyol helping to give newly-appointed coach Tintin Marquez a few concerns.

Bright going forward throughout the first period, Gomez fired off the first shot, only for Argentine Cristian Alvarez to make a comfortable save in the Espanyol goal.

But Swansea were finding Espanyol's lively three-man attack difficult to handle early on and needed a fine reaction stop from Dorus de Vries to save them when Tamudo got in behind.

Gradually Martinez's men grew in confidence, with Andrea Orlandi and Mark Gower pressing down the flanks while Owain Tudur Jones put himself about in central midfield.

Orlandi laid on Swansea's best opening of the first period, swinging in a cross from the left flank which Gower volleyed goalwards at the far post.

Only an acrobatic clearance from left-back Didac Vila denied Swansea the lead.

Swansea continued to probe, and Espanyol would have been down to 10 men midway through the first period had this been a competitive fixture.

When Gorka Pintado, a hard-running ball of muscle up front, flicked on a de Vries clearance, Gomez scampered through on goal and was crudely upended by Victor Ruiz as he prepared to shoot.

Pre-season leniency meant only a yellow card for the Espanyol defender, and Gomez's attempt to exact further punishment with a curling free-kick ended in a decent save from Cristian.

Swansea were matching a club who finished 12th in La Liga last season, and it was cruel when Espanyol opened the scoring six minutes before the interval.

A set-piece proved their undoing, with Garcia swinging in a dead ball from the right which Espanyol talisman Tamudo headed home from six yards out.

Half-time saw a near complete change of personnel, and it was Espanyol's second line-up of the night who started the better.

First, Jonathan's cross-shot was hacked clear by Painter, then Dennis Lawrence, making his first appearance of the campaign after knee trouble, came close to putting through his own net.

Driven on by Darren Pratley, Swansea almost levelled when defender Marc Torrejon's sloppy pass allowed Shaun MacDonald to nip in on the right.

The young winger did everything right, galloping goalwards and then pulling the trigger as the goalkeeper advanced.

Sadly for Swansea, and their 500-strong band of travelling fans, the ball drifted wide of the far post.

Espanyol continued to carry the greater threat, and it was no great surprise when they doubled their lead.

Francisco Rufete made ground down the right and pulled back for Jonathan, who scrambled the ball home after his first effort had been blocked by de Vries.

Swansea refused to crumble, and Tom Butler twice forced saves from Javi Ruiz after trademark runs down the left.

But Espanyol's class told and it was left-winger Albert Riera, who is said to be an £8million target for Liverpool, who made it 3-0 with a brilliant back heel.

And Swansea suffered a final blow when Riera, a former Manchester City player, motored away from a tiring defence to complete the scoring four minutes from the time.