Ten-man Elche beats Espanyol 3–1 after Fer Niño’s early double

Elche scores twice after an early dismissal

Elche was down to ten players almost from the start at Espanyol, with Redondo sent off in the sixth minute. Fer Niño then scored twice before the half-hour, turning an early setback into a two-goal lead. Roy Revivo assisted both goals, which came within three minutes of each other. For the first, Revivo found Fer Niño after the Espanyol goalkeeper came out poorly. Revivo delivered a cross for the second.

Espanyol also put the ball in the net, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Elche carried its two-goal lead into the second half.

Espanyol finds a way back

After halftime, Cepeda struck the post for Elche. At the other end, Dituro intercepted a dangerous cross with Roberto waiting to finish. Elche continued playing with ten men, and Javi Morcillo contributed defensively as Espanyol looked for a goal.

Espanyol got that goal when Chust scored an own goal with about 20 minutes remaining. Roberto later hit the woodwork, leaving Espanyol one goal behind as the match moved toward its finish.

Valera settles the finish

Elche restored its two-goal margin on a counterattack. Germán Valera ran onto a pass from Tete Morente and chipped the advancing Espanyol goalkeeper Dmitrović. The goal completed a 3–1 away win for Elche despite Redondo’s early dismissal.