Sestao River scored in the 121st minute, and Espanyol sacked Manolo González the same night
Jon Rojo’s winner in the last minute of extra time put the fourth-tier side into the Copa del Rey second round and cost Espanyol’s coach his job.
Oct 28, 2026
Espanyol were seconds from a penalty shootout at a fourth-tier ground in the Basque Country. They lost the tie in the 121st minute, and before the night was out they had lost their coach as well.
Sestao River beat the La Liga side 4-3 after extra time in the first round of the Copa del Rey on Tuesday. A few hours later Espanyol announced that Manolo González had been sacked.
Twice behind, and still through
Heavy rain had left the pitch at Las Llanas in a terrible state, and Sestao, who play in Segunda Federación, coped with it far better. Espanyol did go ahead inside six minutes through a Marcos Fernández penalty, but Adri Carrión equalised midway through the first half and Andoni Ugarte headed in from a corner just before the break.
Sestao were still 2-1 up when Espanyol were given a second penalty in the 90th minute. Roberto Fernández scored it to force extra time, and Gabriel Moscardo looked to have finished the job with a strike from outside the box early in the extra half-hour.
It lasted two minutes. Ander Laka headed Sestao level from a free-kick, and the tie was heading for penalties when Jon Rojo found a loose ball in a muddy penalty area and forced in the winner. It was the last minute of the match.
One point from 15
That was the end for González. Espanyol had taken one point from their last five league games, and Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Racing Santander left them in the relegation zone. They have won two of their ten La Liga matches.
He had been in charge since March 2024, when he stepped up from the reserve team to replace Luis Miguel Ramis. He won promotion that season and kept Espanyol in the top flight for two full campaigns afterwards, and Tuesday was his 107th official match. On a better run of results that record would have bought him more time. On this one, losing to a fourth-tier side was not something the club were prepared to sit through.
Espanyol are not the only club in their ownership group making changes. The group led by Alan Pace, which took control of Espanyol in October 2025, also owns Burnley, and Burnley sacked Nicky Hayen after a 4-1 defeat at Lincoln City on Saturday.
Whoever takes over at Espanyol will have very little time with the squad. Their next game is at Villarreal on Friday.