Real Madrid vs Espanyol Review
Xabi Alonso’s impressive start as Real Madrid manager continued as his team secured a 2-0 victory against Espanyol, keeping their perfect record this season and moving to the top of the early standings. The match began quietly, with Real struggling to create cohesive attacking plays, until Éder Militão unexpectedly scored from long range, giving Los Blancos the lead despite goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović getting fingertips to the bold shot.
Espanyol showed attacking intent but rarely managed to find shooting opportunities in a first half increasingly controlled by Alonso’s team. Just before halftime, Espanyol nearly equalized when Edu Expósito’s curling free-kick narrowly missed Fernando Calero’s outstretched leg, a moment that could have been immediately punished if Kylian Mbappé had directed his promising chance on target at the other end.
Just two minutes after the restart, Real extended their lead with another long-range shot, this time from Mbappé, who curled the ball into the near post. Espanyol hadn’t won an away head-to-head match since 1996, and facing a two-goal deficit with 30 minutes left, Manolo González needed to make a change. He made three substitutions, but this seemed to backfire as Real nearly scored a third when Mbappé’s shot was saved and fell to Vinícius Júnior, who hit the post from a tight angle.
With little goalmouth action afterward, the game gradually wound down, allowing the impressive Franco Mastantuono to be substituted as Real maintained control. Ultimately, Espanyol posed little threat to the title contenders, ending their unbeaten league run (3 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss). Meanwhile, Real secured their 10th win in 11 games at the Bernabéu, continuing their flawless start to the season.
