Elche lost their captain in the sixth minute, and won at Espanyol with ten men

Elche went to the RCDE Stadium on Friday night bottom of La Liga with two points from six games, lost their captain to a red card in the sixth minute, and won 3-1.

It is their first win of the season. It took them out of the relegation places.

Down to ten inside ten minutes

Federico Redondo lost the ball near his own box, Bryan Zaragoza went through it, and Redondo pulled him back. The referee waved play on. VAR sent him to the monitor, and Redondo walked in the sixth minute.

Eighty-four minutes to play, a man short, away from home, and no win all season. That is usually the point where a bottom side folds.

Fer Niño scores twice in three minutes

Elche did the opposite. Fer Niño scored in the 26th minute and again in the 29th, both times set up by Roy Revivo, and ten-man Elche went in at half-time two up.

Espanyol had the ball for most of the second half and got a goal back in the 72nd minute through Víctor Chust, who turned a cross into his own net. For six minutes it was a game again.

Then Elche broke. Germán Valera ran at a defence that had come forward, and when Marko Dmitrović advanced he lifted the ball over him. 3-1, and Espanyol’s chances of an equaliser died with it.

What it changes

Martín Anselmi’s side have five points from seven matches now and sit 17th. That is not safety, but it is a different conversation from the one they were having before kick-off.

Espanyol drop to tenth on seven points. This was their fourth defeat of the season, and it came against ten men at home, which is the kind of result that gets remembered when the table matters in May.

Elche’s next problem is that Redondo will be suspended. Their next opportunity is that they have just found out what this squad does when the game goes against it.

Catch up on the rest of the La Liga weekend