At the RCDE Stadium in Cornellà, Elche turned a difficult evening into an early statement of resistance, taking a 1-0 lead over Espanyol despite losing Fede Redondo to a straight red card in the sixth minute. Fer Niño supplied the finish in the 26th minute, punishing a poor advance from Marko Dmitrovic after a neatly worked Elche move and rolling the ball into an unguarded net.
The visitors had arrived in Catalonia under real pressure. Still bottom of the league, Elche had collected only two points from their opening six matches, drawing twice and losing four times. Espanyol, meanwhile, were seeking a response after their defeat to Rayo, played at Butarque. Yet it was the side coached by Anselmi that found the first breakthrough while playing with ten men.
Redondo’s dismissal transformed the opening stages. The Argentine brought down Bryan Zaragoza when the Espanyol attacker appeared to be through as the final defender. Referee Jon Ander González Esteban initially allowed play to continue, before reviewing the incident and showing a direct red card. Figueroa Vázquez was on VAR duty for the match.
Espanyol had plenty of possession after the sending-off but initially struggled to turn it into clear chances against an Elche defence that gradually regained its composure. Anselmi kept his substitutes back during the anxious early spell, with Pedro Bigas sent to warm up but not introduced. Elche began to retain the ball more confidently and restrict routes towards Matías Dituro’s area before Fer Niño struck.
The scorer was booked three minutes before his goal after catching Unai Núñez with an elbow while challenging in the air. His yellow card did not prevent him from becoming the decisive figure of the opening half-hour, capitalising when Dmitrovic left his goal in an unsuccessful attempt to intercept the Elche attack.
For Espanyol, the occasion also marked Manolo González’s 100th top-flight match in charge of the club. José Ángel, a home-grown player making his first appearance directly in the starting line-up, offered energy and direct running from the right. The home side looked for early direct passes towards Roberto Fernández, who entered the game in form and newly included in Luis de la Fuente’s senior Spain squad for the first time. Roberto had scored six goals across the first six league rounds.
Espanyol started with Dmitrovic; José Ángel, Unai Núñez, Cabrera, Hinojo; Edu Expósito, Urko; Calatrava, Javi Hernández, Bryan Zaragoza and Roberto Fernández. Their available replacements were Serred, Fortuño, Riedel, Drkusic, Hartman, Dolan, Bauzà, Moscardo, Pol Lozano, Pere Milla, Marcos Fernández and Mullerat.
Elche named Dituro; Sangaré, Redondo, Chust, Revivo; Lemar, Morcillo, Gonzalo Villar; Cepeda, Fer Niño and Valera. Their bench contained Iturbe, Rubén Sánchez, Barzic, Bigas, Buonanotte, Josan, Neto, Marc Aguado, Diangana, Osorio and Tete Morente.
As the familiar 21st-minute tribute to Dani Jarque was observed around the stadium, Espanyol were still searching for a way through. By then, the visitors had already shown that their numerical disadvantage would not automatically dictate the night.
