Copa del Rey: Sestao River stun Espanyol 4-3 in extra time and Manolo González is sacked

The first round of the Copa del Rey has already claimed a La Liga club and a La Liga coach. Fourth-tier Sestao River beat Espanyol 4-3 after extra time on Tuesday night, with Jon Rojo scoring the winner in the 121st minute. Within hours Espanyol had sacked head coach Manolo González, with the club sitting in the La Liga relegation zone.

A seven-goal night at Las Llanas

The game was played in heavy rain at Sestao's Las Llanas ground, in front of about 3,346 fans. Espanyol went ahead after six minutes when Marcos Fernández scored a penalty. Sestao, who lead their Segunda RFEF group, were the better side for the rest of the first half. Adri Carrión equalised and Andoni Ugarte headed them in front before the break.

Sestao held that lead until the 90th minute, when Roberto Fernández scored another penalty for Espanyol to force extra time. Gabriel Moscardó then put the visitors 3-2 up in the 96th minute. Sestao kept coming back. Ander Laka equalised two minutes later, and with the game heading for penalties, Rojo scored the winner in the last minute of extra time.

González pays the price

Espanyol announced González's dismissal on Wednesday. The club statement thanked him for his work over 107 official matches. Results had already been poor before the cup exit: Espanyol are 18th in La Liga on eight points and have won only one point from their last five league games. No replacement has been named yet.

No problems for Villarreal

Most of the other top-flight clubs that played on Tuesday got through without much trouble. Villarreal won 5-0 at Mallorca-based CD Manacor, Girona won 2-0 at CD Cuarte, Elche beat UD Pinatar 3-1 and Málaga won 3-0 at Sporting de Alcázar. Rayo Vallecano needed extra time to win 3-2 at Recreativo de Huelva, and Las Palmas and Almería also needed 120 minutes to get through. Córdoba were knocked out, losing 3-1 to Atlético Paso.

Wednesday's matches included Real Betis at Navalcarnero, Celta Vigo at Salamanca UDS, Valencia at UE Tavernes and Mallorca at Alcoyano, all kicking off at 8pm or 9pm Spanish time.

Athletic and Sevilla close the round

The first round ends on Thursday 29 October. Athletic Club play AE Prat and Sevilla visit Sporting Hortaleza, both at 9pm Madrid time, which is 4am on Friday 30 October in Malaysia. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Real Sociedad do not enter until the round of 32. All first-round ties are single matches, which is why lower-league sides get chances like the one Sestao took.

Key takeaways

• Fourth-tier Sestao River beat Espanyol 4-3 after extra time, with Jon Rojo scoring in the 121st minute.
• Espanyol sacked Manolo González the next day. They are 18th in La Liga with eight points.
• Villarreal, Girona, Elche and Málaga won comfortably, while Rayo Vallecano, Las Palmas and Almería needed extra time.
• Athletic Club and Sevilla play on Thursday night, at 4am Friday Malaysia time.

FAQ

Q: Who scored Sestao River's winning goal against Espanyol? Jon Rojo, in the 121st minute. It made the score 4-3 just before the match would have gone to penalties.

Q: Why did Espanyol sack Manolo González? The cup exit came on top of a bad run in La Liga. Espanyol are 18th, in the relegation zone, with one point from their last 15. The club ended his spell after 107 official matches.

Q: When do Real Madrid and Barcelona join the Copa del Rey? They are exempt from the first round and enter in the round of 32, along with Atlético Madrid and Real Sociedad.

Sources: Naiz, Futbolete, Infobae, 365Scores