CHINESE striker Wu Lei hasn’t yet opened his Copa del Rey account but he did pick up his first assist of the season in Espanyol’s highly-entertaining 3-2 away win over Solares on Wednesday night.

Wu set up Loren Moron, who stormed through gaps in the Solares midfield with farcical ease, resulting in a calm finish by the Spaniard. The visitors doubled their advantage inside half an hour when Moron again fired a powerful shot past Solares’ helpless goalkeeper after being set up by Oscar Melendo.

Espanyol looked in complete control and only an offside flag prevented Wu from adding a third goal after a piercing run through the heart of the Solares defense. After the interval, Moron seemed to have wrapped up the win for Espanyol when he completed his hat trick via a penalty in the 49th minute.

Espanyol allowed Solares back into the game when Angel Gutierrez hit back with a header with 15 minutes to play.

The hosts then reduced the deficit to one goal after a strike from Enrique Claudios in the 84th minute. Solares almost snatched a draw with a couple of chances but Espanyol held on to secure a vital win. (CGTN)