Espanyol have sacked head coach Manolo Gonzalez hours after a humiliating 4-3 extra-time Copa del Rey defeat to fourth-tier Sestao River, ending a reign that began in March 2024 and took the Catalan club back to LaLiga.
The decision was confirmed on Tuesday night, as reported by Reuters, after Jon Rojo scored in the 121st minute at Las Llanas to complete one of the great cup shocks of the season and leave a top-flight club beaten by a side three divisions below them.
Gonzalez, 47, had admitted before the match that his future was at stake. Afterwards he did not hide from it. "I'm feeling really down, completely shattered, and bearing the full weight of responsibility for everything," he told reporters. "It's one of the worst days of my life, without a doubt."
A cup tie that kept slipping away
Espanyol twice led and still lost. Marcos Fernandez put them ahead from the penalty spot after six minutes, only for Adrian Carrion and Andoni Ugarte to turn the tie around before half-time for Sestao.
Roberto Fernandez levelled from another penalty in the 90th minute to force extra time, and when Gabriel Moscardo made it 3-2 to Espanyol six minutes into the extra period, the LaLiga side looked to have finally escaped.
They had not. Ander Laka equalised two minutes later, and with penalties looming Rojo struck in the first minute of added time at the end of extra time to send Sestao through and spark wild scenes at Las Llanas.
It followed a damaging league defeat as well — Espanyol's recent loss to Racing Santander left them deep in trouble, and Tuesday's exit was a fifth defeat in Gonzalez's final six games in charge, according to Reuters.
The end of a promotion story
The sacking closes a chapter that deserved a better ending. Gonzalez took charge in March 2024, guided Espanyol to promotion within months, and then kept them in LaLiga for the following two seasons.
The club's statement, carried in the AP report, said the two parties part ways after 107 official games in charge of the first team. Espanyol thanked Gonzalez on behalf of president Alan Pace and the board for his work, commitment and professionalism.
But this season never found any rhythm. Espanyol sit 18th in LaLiga with eight points, having lost six of their first 10 league matches. A cup run was supposed to offer relief. Instead it delivered the result that ended the manager's tenure.
No replacement has been named yet.
So what happens now?
Espanyol have almost no time to reset. They face Villarreal on Friday, still inside the relegation places, and whoever leads the team into that game inherits a squad short on confidence and a fanbase that has just watched its side lose to a fourth-tier club.
The wider LaLiga picture is not waiting for them either. While rivals like Sevilla picked up wins this weekend, Espanyol have been sliding, and a second straight season of looking over their shoulder is now a genuine relegation fight.
The new coach's first job is not tactical. It is to stop a bad week becoming a bad season.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Gonzalez was not a failure at Espanyol — he was the man who brought them back up and kept them up twice. But football remembers the last result, and losing to a fourth-tier side after twice leading is the kind of night no board can defend. The sacking was cruel, and it was also inevitable. Did Espanyol make the right call, or should Gonzalez have been given the Villarreal game to save himself? Tell us in the comments.
