Real Madrid 4, Espanyol 1: Mbappe and Vinicius Shine in Dominant Display
Real Madrid bounces back into the winning groove from where they left it in the last round of the Spanish La Liga to trounce Espanyol 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu, Los Blancos home. For the star-studded team, helmed by Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, such a collective show was required to be well-balanced against an early own goal by Thibaut Courtois in order to hold the win for the home side with comfort. A rocky start would not deter Real Madrid to wrap up matters against Espanyol, whose incessant attack was too much for them to bear, thus keeping the home side at the top of the table.
First half: A Dramatic Start for Real Madrid
The game started with Real Madrid’s expected major portion of possession, though Espanyol remained very deep, looked highly compact defending, and was just waiting to take a few chances at some counter-attacks. However it would be Espanyol, contrary to expectations, who actually broke the deadlock in the first half.
At the 54th minute, a trusted Thibaut Courtois was seen to appear to give Espanyol the advantage when he sent himself into his own goal with a mishandling of back-pass and deflecting. Everyone in the stadium was causing shockwaves up and down in it as it was one of those times Madrid fans were unsure of how Courtois could do something like that.
Anyways, Real Madrid was unscathed. They regained the tempo once again in an effort to regain this game and therefore, an opportunity for them to come out of that dazed position.
Second Half: Real Madrid Fightback Starts
This second half marked the onset of an entirely different scenario for Real Madrid as they went on to the field with fresh nerves. They went ahead of the game and did not give it up; they kept complete possession, and everyone knew they were looking for goals to flip the terms of the game. Dani Carvajal scored in the 58th minute when he went for a well-balanced cross which pushed the ball into Espanyol’s goalkeeper’s hands and scored at 1-1, giving the team the push they needed forward. They went on to dominate every dimension of the game.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti’s replacements were gradually beginning to yield as Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo spearheaded the Real Madrid attack. Espanyol could only do was to keep the pace under immense pressure, because Madrid’s forwards left a trail of blistering pace and fluid movement.
Rodrygo and Vinícius Seal the Game
Three minutes from the end, a lovely play involving Vinícius Júnior presented him with his second and Real Madrid’s second as he found space on the left to beat his marker, delivering the pinpoint cross Rodrygo coolly headed home. That gave Madrid a two-goal cushion over Lyon at 2-1 and was enough for the Bernabéu to erupt in celebration.
It was, however, one of Vinícius himself who, three minutes later, scored a ball home in a quick counter-attack following Kylian Mbappé’s pass through Espanyol’s defense. Vinícius made no mistake as he slotted the ball home to solidify Madrid’s lead at 3-1. The Brazilian, yet again, underlined his growing influence as one of Madrid’s key attacking threats, electrifying the game.
Mbappé is only and serves to seal the victory with a penalty.
All things considered, Real Madrid, given a boost by the team on the field, hardly let go of the center of the pitch in the last minutes of the game. By the 90th minute, Mbappé had been floored by a tackle inside the box that allowed for a well-placed penalty. Mbappé had been terrorizing the opponents by great runs all along the match, but now took his time and calmly converted the spot kick for 4-1. The ace of the French celebrated in front of the home fans, sealing a thumping victory for his side.
Espanyol Struggles to Contain Real Madrid
Espanyol had little response to the ferocious attack of Real Madrid. Having led initially and at times defending well, they were there abusively toyed with by the seeming persistent pressure of Madrid. Indeed, their few attempts to counter-attack were mostly ineffective because, in this game, they only managed one shot on target.
Visitors had to undergo numerous combinations in their vain attempt somehow to snatch back the affair and prevent their opponents from taking further thrust, but that also went in vain. The only dramatic incident that befell Espanyol happened due to Courtois of their own; otherwise, they were a complete failure in managing to give a serious threat to the aggression.
Key Players: Vinícius and Mbappé shone
Vinícius Júnior was without question the man who won this game – all that blistering running, creative playing, and essential involvement in two of Real’s goals on his name tag. His partnership with Mbappé continues to blossom; these two forwards pose problems now to any opposing defense.
Kylian Mbappé did not have one foot below the par excellence either, as he gave a great assist for Vinícius to knock in and scored the last penalty. His pace, directness, and ability unlocked the Espanyol defense from the back, and he properly maintained his composure with such tension-packed situations during the penalty spot.
Rodrygo and Dani Carvajal crossed the other gauntlets for Madrid to level scores for Madrid.
Statistical Supremacy: Madrid Dominant Performance
Statistics don’t lie further the dominance of Real Madrid over this fixture. Apparently, Madrid had 75% of ball possession and Espanyol took 25%. That is how much control they had on the game. Real made a total of 31 attempts. Out of these, 14 shot on target, while Espanyol managed just one shot on target from their 11.
Guará: While the match was nicely wrapped up with a three-goal advantage, Madrid was in a winning streak as well, as they made an incredible total of 704 passes to just 260 by Espanyol. Real managed to deliver 80 threatening attacks which spoke much about their attacking edge, while Espanyol could manage just 25.
Real Madrid Title Chances
Victory for Real Madrid has taken safety to the top, keeping the title ambitions alive of this campaign. And with both Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé on the scoresheet, they look well-placed to contest all honours up for grabs.
At this stage, Espanyol should now pick themselves up and look for a way from that defeat. They had nothing on display against the class of quality owned by Madrid, which they were given when an early goal was maintained, thus it is through raising their game that can make them climb league tables.
Conclusion
Real Madrid’s 4-1 win over Espanyol unleashed the attacking, resilience, and tactical flexibility that Madrid surely takes forward. After an insecure opening when Courtois scored an own goal, Madrid roared back with four in a row, which tied them to victory. Apart from the final result, it is really clear that it was Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé who lit the show. And with those two stars under their helm, they continue inspiring the team and making Madrid look like they’re on their way to collecting silverware.
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