Cordoba missed the chance to move off the bottom of La Liga on Sunday night, despite holding Espanyol to a goalless draw.
The first half was dominated by the two sets of defences, but Diego Colotto could have sent Espanyol into the break ahead had he made better contact with his effort from inside the six-yard box.
A largely uneventful opening 45 minutes was followed by an entertaining second half as both sides fought for control of the match.
However, clear chances were still a rarity as Federico Cartabia tested Espanyol shot-stopper Francisco Casilla with a free kick which threatened to sneak into the bottom corner.
The home supporters were certain the win had been secured 12 minutes from time before an offside flag prevented Aleksandar Pantic from celebrating a calm finish under pressure inside the box.
