Sestao River Stuns Espanyol in Dramatic 4-3 Copa del Rey Upset

Fourth-division Spanish outfit Sestao River authored one of the biggest upsets of the football season on Tuesday, October 27, dumping top-tier RCD Espanyol out of the Copa del Rey with a dramatic 4-3 victory after extra time. Competing at their home ground, the Campo Municipal de Las Llanas in Biscay, the Basque squad displayed remarkable resilience in front of an enthusiastic crowd of roughly 3,346 spectators. The result marked the first elimination of a Primera División team in this season's edition of Spain's primary knockout competition.

The visitors from Barcelona appeared poised to take control early, breaking the deadlock in only the sixth minute through a penalty kick converted by Marcos Fernández. Match reports presented differing accounts of the foul that led to the call from referee José Luis Munuera Montero, with one account noting that Jon Rojo tripped Pol Lozano, while another indicated the foul occurred directly against Fernández. Despite falling behind almost immediately, Sestao River quickly settled into the match, handling the difficult conditions of a playing surface deteriorated by steady, continuous rainfall.

Sestao leveled the score in the 21st minute through a fine piece of attacking play. Eneko Delgado threaded a pass to Adri Carrión, who skillfully bypassed Espanyol defender Roger Hinojo before slotting the ball into the net. The hosts continued to apply relentless pressure, and their momentum paid off five minutes before the halftime break. Andoni Ugarte rose above the defense to power a header past Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic off a corner kick, which separate match reports attributed to either Pau Miguélez or Delgado. Sestao carried a well-earned 2-1 lead into the intermission.

Espanyol manager Manolo González responded after the break by making key substitutions, bringing on Roberto Fernández, Gabriel Moscardo, and Bryan Zaragoza to revitalize the attack. Although Sestao maintained a disciplined defensive structure featuring three center backs and threatened on the counterattack through players like Josemi Castañeda and Ander Bengoetxea, Espanyol mounted a desperate push in the closing minutes. After Moscardo struck the goalpost, the visitors were awarded a controversial penalty in the 90th minute when Mikel Zearreta fouled Edu Expósito. Roberto smoothly converted the spot-kick, forcing extra time at 2-2.

The extra-time period delivered intense drama under deteriorating weather. Espanyol took the upper hand in the 96th minute when Moscardo received a pass from Zaragoza and drilled a low, right-footed strike from the edge of the penalty box into the bottom corner. Refusing to surrender, the home team struck back just two minutes later. In the 98th minute, Miguélez delivered a precise lateral free kick into the penalty area, and Ander Laka directed a header into the net to restore parity at 3-3, igniting the local crowd once again.

With a penalty shootout seemingly inevitable, Sestao found the decisive moment in the 121st minute of play. In the final minute of extra-time stoppage time, Gonzalo Zorrilla played the ball into the muddy goalmouth, where Jon Rojo pushed a loose ball across the goal line from close range to make it 4-3. The victory sends the Segunda Federación Group 1 leaders into the next round of the tournament, while leaving Espanyol—already struggling near the bottom of La Liga's standings—faced with an early cup exit and increasing uncertainty regarding González's future on the sidelines.