Espanyol boss Sergio Gonzalez was left to reflect on a “perfect night” for his team following the 2-0 Copa del Rey defeat of Valencia.
Felipe Caicedo netted a second-half brace for Los Pericos to claim a 2-0 victory on the night and a 3-2 aggregate success to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition.
Ecuador striker Caicedo hit the net on 79 and 89 minutes after coming on as a substitute to make it six goals for the season as the hosts claimed victory at the Power8 Stadium, Valencia defender Shkodran Mustafi having been sent off after just 12 minutes.
“When we compete good things happen to us. That’s why we won,” Sergio told reporters post-match.
“We know the importance of the Cup as we have a special affinity with it and this could be a turning point for us. It was a very attractive game in which we played well.
“It was a perfect night that came around at the right time for us, as it did for our fans.
“Mustafi’s sending off early in the game should not detract from our performance as many teams have scored goals with 10 men, although the red card affected them.
“But Valencia wanted to protect the 2-1 score from the first leg and didn’t go out to kill us off,” he claimed.
