Espanyol 1-3 Elche: Elche rise to the occasion with ten men | OneFootball

Fer Niño’s brace and Valera’s goal keep the Elche side afloat in a match shaped by Redondo’s early red card

Elche beat Espanyol (1-3) in a match defined by Redondo’s sending-off in the 5th minute. The Elche side managed to overcome their numerical disadvantage and found in Fer Niño’s brace and Germán Valera’s goal the keys to taking all three points. Despite the home side’s persistence in the second half, Anselmi’s team held firm and claimed an important victory.

First half

The match began with both teams looking to unsettle the opposition through pressing. Elche kept a high line and tried to build from the back, but a poor play out in the 5th minute changed everything. Redondo brought down Bryan Zaragoza as the last defender and left the Elche side with ten men. Morcillo took his place in defense. Espanyol made the most of the numerical advantage to push their lines forward, find their midfielders more easily, and pin back an Elche side that began to lose control of the game.

However, as time went on, the roles began to reverse. Elche started to feel more comfortable and found in direct play a way to beat Espanyol’s press. In the 25th minute, Fer Niño won the battle for a long ball and took his chance to put the Elche side ahead. Just four minutes later, the striker struck again. A brilliant cross from Revivo found Fer Niño, who connected with a volley to make it 0-2 on the scoreboard. Espanyol reacted and Bryan Zaragoza managed to pull one back in the 32nd minute, although the goal was ruled out for offside. Shortly afterward, Buba Sangaré had to leave the pitch with muscle problems and Rubén Sánchez, a former Espanyol player, came on in his place. During the final minutes, Espanyol tried to respond, but Elche held onto their lead and went into the break at 0-2.

Second half

Espanyol came out after the break with greater aggression, determined to cut the deficit as soon as possible. Their attacks forced Elche’s defense and Dituro to stay alert, although the Elche side also found spaces to respond. After a good move, Cepeda struck the post. As the minutes passed, Elche began to look more comfortable on the ball and tried to control the tempo of the match while searching for a third. Both teams had chances, but in the 71st minute Espanyol managed to pull one back after, following a cross, Víctor Chust turned the ball into his own net.

Víctor Chust’s own goal gave Espanyol fresh momentum, and they began to push for an equalizer through crosses from wide areas that caused uncertainty in Elche’s defense. However, Elche struck again in the 77th minute. Germán Valera beat Dmitrovic with a dink to extend the visitors’ lead to 1-3. The Elche side did not give up on attacking, and four minutes later they threatened again, this time with a shot from Osorio that the Espanyol goalkeeper managed to save. Espanyol scored another goal, but it was ruled out for offside. Elche looked for a fourth with a long-range effort from Morcillo that forced Dmitrovic into action. However, Elche held the scoreline and with it secured their first three points.

Match details

Espanyol starting XI: Dmitrovic, José Ángel, Cabrera, Nuñez (Riedel 66´), Hinojo ( 46´), Urko (Marcos 46´), Edu Expósito, Cala (Pere Milla 61´), Javi Hdez., Bryan (Dolan 66´) and Roberto.

Elche starting XI: Dituro, Redondo, Chust, Sangaré (Rubén Sánchez 37´), Revivo (Barzic 76´), Javi Morcillo, Gonzalo Villar (Bigas 60´), Lucas Cepeda, Lemar (Tete Morente 76´), Germán Valera and Fer Niño (Osorio 60´).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.