Espanyol has announced the dismissal of manager Manolo González following the team’s elimination from the Copa del Rey at the hands of Sestao River, as the board put an end to his tenure on the heels of a disappointing run of results.
The official announcement arrived on Tuesday evening, following the conclusion of the first-round tie at the Las Llanas stadium. The Catalan club entered the match under severe pressure due to their slumping league form, before ultimately failing to overcome their fourth-tier opponents.
Espanyol suffered a 4-3 defeat after extra time, with Jon Rojo scoring Sestao’s winning goal in the 121st minute—just as the contest was heading toward a penalty shootout—shattering the visitors’ hopes of salvaging a grueling night.
The match featured numerous twists and turns: Espanyol took an early lead via a penalty, then fell behind before restoring parity with another spot-kick near the end of regulation time. They regained the lead in the 96th minute, but the hosts hit back immediately before delivering the final decisive blow.
The sacking was not merely a reaction to the cup failure; the team had slipped to 18th in La Liga with just eight points, suffering six defeats in their opening ten rounds and collecting a single point from their last 15 available.
“Espanyol has decided to end Manolo González’s tenure as first-team head coach,” the club stated in an official release, bringing an end to his reign after 107 official matches. This record made him the ninth most-capped manager in the club’s history and the first to surpass the 100-match milestone since Mauricio Pochettino.
González took charge of the first team in March 2024, steering them to La Liga promotion before successfully securing their top-flight status across two full seasons—achievements praised by the club in their farewell statement despite the decision to alter the technical staff.
The dismissal announcement did not reveal the name of his successor, while Espanyol faces an away fixture against Villarreal on Friday, October 30, leaving the board limited time to organize the next phase and attempt to halt the downward spiral.
