Thibaut Courtois’ mishandling of a cross into his net on Saturday night gave Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid team a lead. Real Madrid’s situation was saved by Dani Carvajal, who scored a goal to tie the score and send the Blancos into the lead. Vinicius Junior came off the bench to score his own goal and set up another for Rodrygo. A late penalty was scored by Kylian Mbappe.
Real Madrid finished off an incredible comeback in the second half to maintain their perfect start to the La Liga season and close the gap on leaders Barcelona to just one point. An own goal by Thibaut Courtois gave Espanyol the lead early in the second half, shocking the reigning champions. Just a few minutes later, Dani Carvajal tied the score, but Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo put Los Blancos out of sight. The remarkable comeback was completed by Kylian Mbappe’s injury-time goal from the spot.
Espanyol Crushed: Real Madrid’s Goal Blitz
Shortly into the second half, Jofre Carreras brought the ball back across goal, where it struck the ‘keeper’s left thigh and found its way into the net, resulting in an own goal by Thibaut Courtois that silenced the home crowd. Real Madrid overcame Espanyol 4-1 on Saturday to close the gap on Spanish La Liga leaders Barcelona.
The fans at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid were silenced by an own goal by Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, giving visiting Espanyol a 1-0 lead in the second half. Carvajal scored into an empty net three minutes after Jude Bellingham’s excellent effort, indicating that Carlo Ancelotti’s team was not slow to react. Real Madrid easily defeated Espanyol thanks to a brilliant goal by Rodrygo, which was scored by Vinicius after he crossed the ball.
Next, Vinicius scored after making a spectacular breakaway and skillfully finishing past Joan Garcia. In injury time, Endrick was subsequently hauled down just inside the area, and Mbappe scored his second goal in as many games with ease from the penalty spot. As a result, Real Madrid now sits second in the Liga standings, ahead of Sunday’s match against Atletico Madrid. In the table, Espanyol is ranked thirteenth.
Vinicius Sparks Change
Real Madrid will host Alaves in the middle of the week before going to Atletico Madrid, their rivals, the following weekend. Villarreal will visit Espanyol on Thursday. With the game tied at one, Vinicius came off the bench to replace Arda Guler, and that was when the entire contest changed. The winger’s zeal seemed to be stoked even more when Ancelotti rested the important Brazilian.
When Vinicius first entered the game, he was brilliant. He set up Real Madrid ahead with a beautiful cross for Rodrygo and then demonstrated his finishing prowess by putting a nice shot past Joan Garcia. Despite having stars on the field, Los Blancos lacked that extra bit of pace and firepower in the first half, and Vinicius gave it to them as soon as he entered the game.
Although the winger has recently come under fire for his performances on the international front, against Espanyol there was no denying the Brazil star. In six La Liga games this season, the Brazilian has three goals and four assists, and he has remained Los Blancos’ main man even after Mbappe’s arrival. Vinicius was unplayable, but he decided the match even though he only played in the second half.
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