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A rampant second-half from Real Madrid helped them blow away newly-promoted Espanyol.
Real Madrid were wasteful in the first-half, but after a sucker-punch from Espanyol in the second-half, they turned on the style and blew away the Catalan side, beating them 4-1.
A Thibaut Courtois own-goal gave Espanyol the opener, but Dani Carvajal restored parity moments later. The Los Blancos attacking trio of Vinicius, Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappe added to the goals to help the defending champions to a resounding victory.
Key match actions
Real Madrid exploded out of the gates, with Rodrygo, Mbappe and Fran Garcia all getting good chances early on. Espanyol struggled to get out of their own half, and their first chance came when their captain Javi Puado attempted to catch Thibaut Courtois off guard with an audacious long-range strike, but the Real Madrid goalkeeper watched the ball sail harmlessly wide.
Despite the dominance, Real Madrid failed to score in the first-half. After the interval, Mbappe's quick-turn shot tested García once more, but Espanyol suddenly sparked to life. Jofre Carreras and Carlos Romero unleashed menacing strikes, the former forcing Courtois into an acrobatic save.
In a stunning reversal, Carreras capitalised on García's precise goal kick, collecting the ball at the byline and firing a low shot through Courtois' legs to silence the home crowd. The ball awkwardly bounced through the Belgian’s legs and was given as an own-goal.
Carlo Ancelotti responded by introducing Vinícius, and the substitution paid dividends. After Federico Valverde's thunderous effort was parried, Jude Bellingham regained possession and squared the ball under García, allowing Dani Carvajal to tap in the equaliser.
Vinícius's majestic trivela cross on 75 minutes sealed Espanyol's fate, as Rodrygo converted from close range. The victory was secured shortly after, courtesy of Vinícius' clinical finish from Mbappe's exquisite pass. Real Madrid rubbed salt in the wounds when substitute Endrick's dazzling skill earned a penalty, which Mbappe confidently converted as the Frenchman finally got in on the scoresheet.
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