Real Madrid faced off against Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium as they looked to secure all three points on the road. Los Blancos made an excellent start to the contest as they got their noses ahead in the 12th minute when Vinicius Junior scored with a great finish. However, Joselu equalised for the home side in the 43rd minute as Carlo Ancelotti’s men went into the half-time interval with a 1-1 scoreline.
Both sides fought tooth and nail in the second half. Despite Espanyol’s resilience, Real Madrid found a way to regain their lead in the 88th minute when Karim Benzema scored with a good side-foot volley. The French striker went on to score again deep in injury-time as Los Blancos ended up earning a hard-fought 3-1 win away from home.
Let’s take a look at how each Real Madrid player performed during the clash against Espanyol.
GK: Thibaut Courtois – 7/10
The Belgian keeper made a few crucial saves at the back but won’t be happy after conceding a late goal in the first half.
RB: Lucas Vazquez – 6.5/10
He kept things solid inside his half and made one good chance in the final third. Vazquez was taken off in the 84th minute.
CB: Eder Militao – 7/10
Militao dealt with the danger when needed and was good on the ball as well.
CB: Antonio Rudiger – 6.5/10
The German centre-back didn’t put his foot through the ball when the home side were on the offensive.
LB: David Alaba – 6.5/10
Alaba didn’t do much wrong when defending at the back and managed to create a couple of inviting chances for his teammates to score.
CM: Luka Modric – 6/10
Modric was tidy with his passing but struggled to get a stranglehold in the game. He ended up lasting just 57 minutes.
CM: Aurelien Tchouameni – 7.5/10
He was strong in the air and anchored the midfield really well for the visitors. Tchouameni also managed to engineer two decent chances in the final third.
CM: Toni Kroos – 6.5/10
Kroos had some lively moments in the opponent’s half but failed to create any clear-cut chances up top.
RW: Federico Valverde – 6/10
He worked hard but was mostly quiet during his time on the pitch.
ST: Karim Benzema – 8.5/10
The French striker showed his class by scoring two late goals which ensured all three points for Real Madrid. He deserves to be named the man of the match.
LW: Vinicius Junior – 7/10
He gave his team the lead early in the game and was a constant menace down the left flank.
Substitutes:
RW: Rodrygo – 7/10
Rodrygo came off the bench and bagged an assist.
CM: Eduardo Camavinga – 6.5/10
He added more energy to Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield.
CM: Dani Ceballos – 6/10
The Spaniard offered some fresh legs at the centre of the park.
RB: Dani Carvajal – N/A
He didn’t get enough time to warrant a rating.
