Espanyol crash out to Sestao River after 121-minute cup thriller

Espanyol are out of the Copa del Rey after a 3-4 extra-time defeat at Sestao River, and the result piles more pressure on Manolo González. Jon Rojo scored the winner in the 121st minute, with the tie ending after three comebacks and a long, messy night at Las Llanas. Espanyol are also the first Primera División side eliminated in the first round.

Espanyol's league slide

The cup exit lands on top of a poor league start. Espanyol are 18th after 10 matches, with a record of 2 wins, 2 draws and 6 losses. Their last five league results are LLDLL, so this is not a one-off bad night away from home. It fits the run they have already been carrying in La Liga.

The goalkeeper line tells part of the story too. Marko Dmitrović was left with a 5.5 rating in the cup, his lowest listed competition mark in the data. That sits alongside a result that will only sharpen the scrutiny on González after another cup setback.

A chaotic tie at Las Llanas

The match itself swung constantly. Marcos Fernández put Sestao ahead from the penalty spot in the 6th minute, then Roberto Fernández forced extra time with a 90th-minute penalty for Espanyol.

Sestao responded well in the chaos. Andoni Ugarte was rated 8.5, Ander Laka 8.3, and Gabriel Moscardo 7.3 after his extra-time goal from the bench. Eneko Delgado was also central to the first-half turnaround, with two direct goal involvements.

Sestao's own account called it a historic victory and celebrated another cup night at Las Llanas. SPORT1 framed the result as Espanyol struggling in the league and embarrassing themselves in the cup again. The dismissal talk around Manolo González is still just that, talk, but the pressure will only rise after a first-round exit to a fourth-tier side.

Sestao River now move on with the upset, and Espanyol go back to league duty with a trip to repair.