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Wet win against Solares in the cup (2-3)
A Loren Morón hat trick takes Espanyol through to the next round of the Copa del Rey, at the expense of Solares
Espanyol began their journey in the Copa del Rey with an entertaining contest against Solares, hosted in a municipality of just over 4,000 inhabitants and under wet conditions. A 2-3 victory allowed them to progress in the cup competition, despite some late scares from the lower division opposition.
The tie was a tricky one due to the rain, the heaviness of which at times threatened to cause the abandonment of the action.
An Espanyol side ready to attack realised that the most viable option was to play long balls upfield, looking to make the most of the quality of their forwards. It was from one of those starting strikers that the first goal of the game was scored: Loren found the net on 15 minutes to put Los Pericos in front.
Shortly thereafter, the highly participative Nico had two very clear chances to extend the lead, but it was Loren again who notched up goal number two, turning in a great assist from Melendo. The speed of the attackers was noticeable, despite the boggy conditions of the pitch.
Wu Lei also enjoyed an opportunity to score, albeit without any joy in the final metres, and the game went into halftime 0-2 to RCD Espanyol.
Vicente Moreno freshened things up at the beginning of the second half with a series of substitutions. Despite the changes, the team came out after the interval just as motivated for goals.
Loren Morón completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, having been fouled inside the box.
With the advantage a firm one, the rain intensified at La Estación, although Espanyol kept up their search for goals. Wu Lei and Loren remained dangerous, and continued to see plenty of the ball, but there would be no further goals for the team. Instead, Solares struck twice through Ángel Oslé and Enrique Gutiérrez, but Espanyol were never completely in danger.
Besides the 2-3 result, other positives from the game were first team debuts for García, Joan and Álvaro, and the return of Miguelón to a full 90 minutes, having reappeared after injury to feature in the match against Real Sociedad.
Next up is a Sunday afternoon LaLiga game against Rayo Vallecano.