Espanyol sack head coach Manolo González after Copa del Rey exit to Sestao

RCD Espanyol have ended Manolo González's tenure as first-team head coach. The announcement from the Catalan club came hours after a Copa del Rey elimination against fourth-tier Sestao River and with the side stuck in a run of six matches without a victory, a sequence that ultimately exhausted the patience of the club's hierarchy.

• Manolo González is no longer Espanyol head coach after the Copa del Rey defeat to Sestao River.
• The Catalan side have gone six consecutive matches without a win.
• Sergio García, coach of the reserve team, is the main candidate to take over on an interim basis.
• Espanyol praised the outgoing coach's professionalism and commitment in an official statement.
• It is the third straight Copa elimination for Espanyol against lower-division opposition.

Copa del Rey exit in Sestao triggers Manolo González dismissal

The match at Las Llanas became an ordeal for Espanyol. Under heavy rain and on a pitch that gradually turned into a mudbath, the visitors failed to close out a game they had controlled. Sestao River equalised deep in stoppage time of regulation from the penalty spot and, in extra time, struck again in the dying moments to complete a comeback that left the away bench reeling.

This is not the first time Espanyol have stumbled at this stage of the Copa against lower-league opponents. In the previous two seasons, Barbastro and Atlético Baleares, also fourth-tier sides, had already knocked the Catalan club out of the competition. The outcome in Sestao reopened a wound the club has struggled to heal.

Six winless matches seal the coach's fate

Beyond the cup blow, the league situation weighed heavily on the decision. Espanyol have gone six matchdays without a win, a streak that has weakened the team's position in the table and created a sense of urgency around the club. The board, which had shown patience at other points in the campaign, decided that González's cycle had run its course.

Sergio García emerges as interim option from the reserve team

With the sacking now official, the name most strongly linked with taking over the first team is Sergio García, current coach of Espanyol's reserve side. His knowledge of the club and his work developing young players from the academy make him the natural candidate for an emergency change while the board outlines its next steps for the dugout.

Espanyol's official statement on the dismissal

The club announced the decision through an official statement confirming the departure of the Galician coach. In the text, Espanyol highlighted González's record and conduct since taking the job, praising his professionalism, his commitment to the daily work and the dedication he showed when facing the sporting challenges that came his way.

Espanyol have decided to bring Manolo González's tenure to an end and particularly value his professionalism and the commitment with which he carried out his work, as well as the dedication he showed when facing sporting challenges.

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