Real Madrid continued their impressive start to the La Liga campaign with a 3-1 win away from home against Espanyol.
The defending champions were full of confidence heading into the game, and Carlo Ancelotti will be relatively pleased with the performance of his players on the night. Vinicius Jr. opened the scoring for Los Blancos, and Karim Benzema wrapped up the three points with a brace.
Real Madrid have now picked up three wins from their three league matches, and they will be hoping to build on their impressive start and win the league title once again. On the other hand, Espanyol have now dropped to 16th in the league table after failing to win their first three league matches.
The home side were comprehensively beaten by Real Madrid on the night, and they have now lost two back-to-back league games following a draw in their season opener. Espanyol did well to come back into the game after the early opening goal from Vinicius.
Joselu managed to level the scores two minutes before half-time, but they were undone late on in the game because of a brace from the in-form Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema. Real Madrid sit at the top of the table with nine points from three league matches and they are two points clear of arch-rivals Barcelona in third place.
? FT: @RCDEspanyol_EN 1-3 @realmadriden
⚽ Joselu 42'; @vinijr 12', @Benzema 87', 90+9' #EspanyolRealMadrid | #Emirates pic.twitter.com/aPST43Rrae— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) August 28, 2022
With Barcelona picking up form, the win was crucial for Real Madrid to remain perched atop La Liga. Here at The Hard Tackle, we look at how the Real Madrid players fared against Espanyol on Sunday night.
Thibaut Courtois: 7/10
Courtois did not have a lot to do mainly because Real Madrid dominated most of the game. However, the Belgian international managed to make his presence felt when he came up with a couple of important saves off Joselu in either half.
Lucas Vazquez: 6.5/10
A solid but unspectacular display from Vazquez as the full back. The Real Madrid utility man worked hard defensively and tried to provide an attacking outlet for his teammates.
Eder Miliato: 6/10
Militao had a fairly subdued performance on the night, and the Brazilian defender will feel that he could have done more to prevent the goal from Joselu. Stepping up at the right time would have rendered the Espanyol striker offside.
Antonio Rudiger: 6.5/10
Rudiger put on a solid defensive display with his aggressive approach and mopped up the through balls at the back with regularity.
David Alaba: 8/10
Alaba was deployed as a full-back in the game and he was outstanding for Real Madrid. The versatile defender was reliable at the back and he donned the role of a playmaker as well from the left-hand side.
Luka Modric: 6/10
An uncharacteristic display from the Croatian midfielder. Luka Modric looked frustrated on the night and he was certainly not at his best.
Aurelien Tchouameni: 7.5/10
The young Frenchman will be expected to fill the void left by Casemiro this season, and he certainly stepped up with an impressive performance. Tchouameni ooked solid in possession and created the opening goal for his side.
Toni Kroos: 6/10
? @ToniKroos: "Winning three games in a row away from home isn't easy. We knew it wasn't going to be easy today."#EspanyolRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/urSXsYJc6s
— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) August 28, 2022
Similar to Modric, Kroos was not at his best on the night but did the things required of him consistently and kept things ticking in the middle of the park.
Federico Valverde: 6.5/10
The Uruguayan international was a part of the front three, and he worked tirelessly to win the ball back for his side and create chances for Real Madrid with his clever link-up play.
Karim Benzema: 8/10
Benzema was quiet in the first half, but he managed to stand up and deliver when his side needed him the most. The French international scored two late goals to secure the three points for Real Madrid.
The usual suspects.
? @Benzema x @vinijr ? pic.twitter.com/IJjtZazgVB— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) August 28, 2022
Vinicius Junior: 9/10
The Brazilian has been in spectacular form over the past year, and he continued that by terrorising the Espanyol defence with his dribbling and pace. Vinicius scored the opening goal of the game and stretched the opposition defence time and again.
SUBSTITUTES
Eduardo Camavinga: 7.5/10
Camavinga made a name for himself with his impactful performances as a substitute last year, and he continued to impress against Espanyol as well. The youngster came on and created important chances for Real Madrid and drove the team forward with his physicality and technical ability.
Rodrygo Goes: 7/10
Rodrygo made an immediate impact after coming on and combined well with the other attackers. The Brazilian also produced an impressive assist that led to Karim Benzema’s match-winning goal in the 88th minute.
RODRYGO TO BENZEMA ?
IT HAD TO BE THEM ? pic.twitter.com/RkC97XiuEU
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 28, 2022
Dani Ceballos: 6/10
Ceballos was brought on to add composure and legs to the midfield and he did just that. Could have got on the scoresheet if Benzema had been more accurate with his passing.
Dani Carvajal: N/A
The Spanish international came on too late to make any meaningful contributions.
