Late VAR penalty rescues Sporting; Andorra knocked out of Copa del Rey

Sporting de Gijón were held to a 1–1 draw at El Molinón after César Gelabert converted a stoppage‑time penalty awarded following a lengthy VAR review. Lautaro de León put FC Andorra ahead in the 80th minute, and deep into added time a late header struck Diego Alende’s arm; after the VAR check the referee pointed to the spot and Gelabert converted to salvage a point for the hosts. Sporting dominated possession in the second half, and local coverage noted several important saves by Sporting’s goalkeeper that kept the match level.

The trip to Gijón came days after head coach Ibai Gómez resigned, leaving an interim technical staff in place. Carles Manso has taken charge on a temporary basis with Aitor Yeto among his assistants; majority shareholder Gerard Piqué has been present at recent matches and remains involved in preparations and communications with the interim group. The club says it will not rush a permanent appointment and is evaluating options, including extending the interim team. Martín Merquelanz was unavailable with a hamstring issue.

Three days after the draw at El Molinón, FC Andorra were eliminated from the Copa del Rey following a 4–2 defeat at Cultural Leonesa at the Reino de León. Agustín “Pibe” Pastoriza opened the scoring with a powerful finish after an individual run and a fortunate rebound that beat Nico Ratti. Jastin García levelled for Andorra just before half‑time with a low finish after good work from Aingeru Olabarrieta.

Cultural Leonesa regained the lead early in the second half when Paco Cortés curled a shot into the top corner. Théo Le Normand drew Andorra level on 65 minutes by converting a rebound after sustained pressure, but the parity lasted only briefly: a short corner was played into the box and Quique Fornos headed in at the far post to make it 3–2, and Lucas Ribeiro sealed the tie late on after a counterattack finished off a defensive error.

Andorra twice fought back to draw level but were ultimately undone by defensive lapses; the defeat extended an already troubling sequence without victory and ended their hopes of reaching a round that would have brought a Primera División visitor to Encamp. The side again lined up under the interim staff, with Nico Ratti reinstated in goal and a starting XI that featured several rotated players, including Antal Yaakobishvili and Turkish midfielder Efe Akman.

The match was officiated by Alejandro Morilla Turrión and attended by 3,864 spectators. With the cup exit behind them, Andorra return their attention to the league: Carles Manso has urged calm, insisting the squad needs a positive result to change momentum, and the team’s immediate task is to halt the poor run when they host Almería in their next fixture.