Espanyol secure 1-0 victory over Villarreal under interim boss Sergio García

Leandro Cabrera’s goal and Ángel Fortuño’s saves secured a 1-0 victory for Espanyol at the Estadio de la Cerámica, with B-team coach Sergio García managing from the touchline. The win arrived three days after Manolo González was dismissed and preceded Eder Sarabia’s official presentation.

Sergio García, the B-team coach, directed the side from the sidelines at the Estadio de la Cerámica during the opening match of the LaLiga round.

The result followed a leadership change three days prior. Manolo González had managed 107 official matches for the first team, according to Libertad Digital. He entered that cup tie having accumulated only one point from Espanyol’s previous 15 available fixtures in LaLiga.

Fortuño’s saves preserved Cabrera’s goal against a dominant Villarreal side.

Villarreal controlled possession for extended periods. They completed 503 accurate passes compared to Espanyol’s 263. They also registered 14 shots to Espanyol’s 5. Their expected goals total stood at 0.92, against 0.26 for the visitors.

Espanyol believed they had taken the lead first. Roberto Fernández had a goal disallowed by VAR in the 50th minute. The review determined he had held Pau Navarro before scoring. Fernández has scored six goals in LaLiga this season.

Cabrera then scored in the 60th minute, with Bryan Zaragoza providing the assist. From that point, Espanyol defended their lead. Ángel Fortuño’s goalkeeping earned him the match’s highest player rating of 8.31.

Villarreal faced issues before half-time. Gerard Moreno was substituted with a muscle injury in the 17th minute, and Nicolas Pépé replaced him. Foyth and Diatta had already been ruled out late in the buildup. Iñigo Pérez’s side finished without a goal despite their territorial dominance.

The match was competitive without being overly physical. Each team received three yellow cards, and there were no red cards.

Sarabia assumes charge with a home fixture against Deportivo next.

Espanyol appointed Eder Sarabia as head coach on Wednesday 28 October. He could not take charge at La Cerámica because he is serving a two-match suspension, as reported by Ara.

Sarabia’s new coaching staff includes former centre-back Álvaro González. He played for Espanyol from 2014 to 2017 before moving to Olympique de Marseille.

The win leaves Espanyol in 12th place with 11 points from their opening games. Villarreal are 10th with 12 points.

Villarreal host Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday 3 November. Espanyol’s next LaLiga match is at home to Deportivo La Coruña on Saturday 7 November.

Sources

• Villarreal vs Paris 2026-11-03 (Paris Saint-Germain)
• Villarreal CF vs PSG – UEFA Champions League (LaLiga)
• Español: el entrenador que se enfada si rechazas un balón en el minuto 90 (Ara)
• El Espanyol destituye a Manolo González tras el batacazo en la Copa (Libertad Digital)