Elche win at Espanyol with 10 men and push Malaga bottom

Elche delivered a statement win at the RCDE Stadium: they beat Espanyol despite playing with ten from the 6th minute, while the result keeps Malaga rooted at the bottom.

Early red sets the tone

The match’s turning point came early when Fede Redondo was sent off after a VAR check for grabbing Bryan Zaragoza as he broke through on goal. From then on, Elche stayed compact, pressed the build-up and didn’t look overly exposed even with the hosts’ numerical advantage.

Still, it was Elche who punished Espanyol’s defensive lapses. In the 26th minute, Fer Niño made it 0-1, arriving after Revivo’s long pass and finishing past Dmitrovic. Just three minutes later he struck again: Revivo set him up once more and the attacker fired a cross-shot to make it 0-2.

Own goal and late dagger

Before half-time, Espanyol tried to raise the tempo, but lacked the edge. A goal by Bryan Zaragoza was ruled out for offside.

In the second half, the hosts made changes and pushed harder, but Elche refused to sit back. On 72 minutes, Marcos Fernández—coming in near Chust—controlled a cross and eventually scored an own goal to put Espanyol at 1-2. Espanyol threatened again, yet Germán Valera delivered the knockout blow at 78 minutes: he broke clear, chipped over Dmitrovic, and silenced the stadium to make it 1-3.

Sport reports that the suspense lasted until the end after a 87th-minute goal by Pere Milla was also chalked off for offside. The score 1-3 held, giving Elche a huge boost.