Espanyol was eliminated from the Spanish Cup after losing 4–3 to Sestao River, a fourth division club, in the first round. Coach Manolo González was removed after defeat.
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27/10/2026
by
Lusa
O Espanyol lost today with the Sestao River 4-3, in a game of ‘crazy’ of the first elimination of the Spanish Cup of football, and Coach Manolo González did not resist humiliation in front of a fourth-tier club.
When the advanced Marcos Fernández put the ‘periquitos’ in advantage of the marker, just at six minutes, through a major penalty successfully converted, everything indicated that the Espanyol was going to move smoothly in the race, but the men of the Sestao River had other plans.
And they went back in the first part, with goals of Adri Carrion, at 18 minutes, and of Andoni Ugarte, at 40, having resisted until 90 minutes in advantage, until Roberto Fernández scored on top of the 90 minute, penalt, the goal of equality (2-2), leading the decision for the extension.
At 96, the Brazilian average Gabriel Moscardo, who plays in Espanyol on loan from the two-time European champion Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), João Neves, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha, put the visitors to the advantage.
But just two minutes later, Ander Belaustegi Laka scored for the Sestao River, for the defense Jon Rojo to give the ‘final blow’ in the first divisionals, at 120+1, consummating the great surprise of the night in Spain and leading to the dismissal of Manolo González from the 18th and prepenultimate ranked of the Spanish League.
In the other games involving La Liga teams, the favorites won, with Rayo Vallecano driving away the Recreational Huelva (fourth division) by 3-2, Girona winning the Cuarte Industrial (fifth division) by 2-0, the Elche winning the Pinatarense (fifth division) by 3-1, and the Villareal winning the Manacor (sixth division) by 5-0.