Espanyol 1-3 Elche: Match Report, Goals, Stats and Ratings
La Liga Matchday 7 · Friday 18 September 2026 · RCDE Stadium, Cornella de Llobregat · referee J. González Esteban · full time
Full time: Espanyol 1-3 Elche
Elche won 3-1 away at Espanyol in La Liga Matchday 7 on Friday 18 September 2026. The goals: Fer Niño 26', Fer Niño 29', Germán Valera 78'.
How Elche won it
Elche struck first through Fer Niño in the 26th minute, set up by Roy Revivo. Fer Niño made it 0-2 to Elche in the 29th minute, set up by Roy Revivo. An own goal by Víctor Chust made it 1-2 to Espanyol in the 72nd minute. Germán Valera made it 1-3 to Elche in the 78th minute, set up by Tete Morente.
It was 0-2 at half-time.
Fer Niño scored twice.
Federico Redondo of Elche was sent off in the 6th minute. The referee, J. González Esteban, showed 4 yellow cards: 2 to Espanyol and 2 to Elche.
Espanyol: J. González Álvarez, 4-2-3-1 · Elche: M. Anselmi, 4-3-3.
Moneyball's prediction against the result
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Why it went this way
On the day the expected goals were 0.71 for Espanyol and 1.13 for Elche.
Elche made more of their chances than the xG suggests, by about 1.9 goals.
Espanyol had 4 shots on target, Elche 6.
Espanyol had 66% of the ball, but Elche took the points.
A red card changed the shape of the match, and no pre-match model can see one coming.
Where the two sides stood before this match
Espanyol came into it with 8 La Liga matches played, scoring 1.4 and conceding 1.4 a match, with 1.41 expected goals for and 1.17 against, and had won 25% of their matches.
Elche came into it with 7 La Liga matches played, scoring 1.6 and conceding 2.4 a match, with 1.39 expected goals for and 1.70 against, and had won 14% of their matches.
Espanyol vs Elche: the match in numbers
| Espanyol | Match statistics | Elche |
|---|---|---|
| 66% | Ball possession | 34% |
| 0.71 | Expected goals (xG) | 1.13 |
| 23 | Total shots | 9 |
| 4 | Shots on target | 6 |
| 2 | Big chances | 3 |
| 509 | Total passes | 282 |
| 88% | Pass accuracy | 68% |
| 3 | Corners | 3 |
| 14 | Fouls | 9 |
| 9 | Offsides | 2 |
| 16 | Tackles | 17 |
| 3 | Saves | 4 |
| 2 | Yellow cards | 2 |
| 0 | Red cards | 1 |
Team statistics from Sportmonks.
Player ratings and man of the match
Man of the match: Fer Niño (Elche), rated 8.1 by Sportmonks, with 2 goals.
Espanyol
- Edu Expósito 7.5
- Unai Núñez 7.5
- Marcos Fernández 7.0
- Tyrhys Dolan 7.0
- Bryan Zaragoza 6.9
Elche
- Fer Niño 8.1 2 goals
- Roy Revivo 7.8 2 assists
- Germán Valera 7.7 1 goal
- Lucas Cepeda 7.3
- Javi Morcillo 7.1
The lowest-rated starter was Federico Redondo at 5.0. Ratings run from 0 to 10; around 7.0 is a solid match.
What comes next
- Espanyol: Espanyol vs Atlético de Madrid Saturday 17 October 2026 · La Liga
- Elche: Elche vs Celta de Vigo Sunday 11 October 2026 · La Liga
Each preview has Moneyball's estimate for the next match, published before kick-off and marked against the result afterwards, as this one is.
Questions about Espanyol vs Elche
What was the score in Espanyol vs Elche?
Espanyol 1-3 Elche (half-time 0-2), La Liga, Friday 18 September 2026.
Who scored in Espanyol vs Elche?
Fer Niño 26', Fer Niño 29', Germán Valera 78'.
Did Moneyball predict Espanyol vs Elche correctly?
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Who was man of the match in Espanyol vs Elche?
Fer Niño, rated 8.1 by Sportmonks.
Who refereed Espanyol vs Elche?
J. González Esteban.
Every match, before and after
Moneyball Odds writes a preview with its estimate before every match of Europe's top five leagues and the European cups, then marks it against the result, hits and misses alike.
Moneyball Odds is a statistical analysis site, not a bookmaker. No model predicts football reliably. For readers aged 18 and over.