Madrid, Oct 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) La Liga side Espanyol sacked coach Manolo Gonzalez following a shock Copa del Rey defeat to fourth-tier Sestao River, ending his tenure amid a prolonged run of poor results.
The decision came shortly after Espanyol suffered a 4-3 defeat after extra time, with Jon Rojo scoring the winner for Sestao in the 121st minute.
The cup exit compounded Espanyol's struggles in La Liga, where the club sits in the relegation zone following last weekend's 2-1 defeat away to Racing Santander.
"RCD Espanyol have decided to bring Manolo Gonzalez's tenure as coach of the club to an end," the club said in a statement on its website.
The club thanked Gonzalez for his contribution, praising his professionalism, commitment and dedication during his time in charge.
"RCD Espanyol ... wish to express our gratitude to Manolo Gonzalez for the work, commitment and effort he has shown since taking charge of the first team," the statement said.
Gonzalez, 47, took charge of Espanyol in March 2024 after being promoted from the reserve side and guided the club back to La Liga at the end of that season.
However, his position came under increasing scrutiny following a difficult second half of last season, when Espanyol endured an 18-match winless run spanning 143 days.
Despite winning two of its opening five league matches this season, Espanyol has since gone five games without a victory, increasing the pressure on Gonzalez.
Spanish media had reported ahead of Tuesday's cup tie that his job was under threat.
Espanyol said Gonzalez was leaving after more than three seasons and 107 competitive matches in charge of the first team.
Elsewhere, Villarreal cruised to a 5-0 victory at Manacor through goals from Alassane Diatta, Tani Oluwaseyi, Sergi Cardona, Nizar and Nicolas Pepe.
Malaga recorded its first win of the season with a 3-0 victory over Sporting de Alcazar. Chupe broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 71st minute and added a second before Dani Lorenzo completed the scoring in the 88th.
Elche also advanced after recovering from a goal down to beat sixth-tier UD Pinatar 3-1. Ezequiel Ponce scored twice before Ali Houary added a third to seal the comeback victory.
Source: IANS
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