José Mourinho’s Real Madrid left it late in Cornellà. Jude Bellingham put the visitors ahead inside nine minutes, Espanyol pulled level through Álex Calatrava on the half-hour, and the match seemed destined for a share of the spoils until substitute Carlos Espi struck in the 90th minute to hand Real Madrid a 2-1 win in La Liga matchday two.
Key Moments
- 9′, Real Madrid take an early lead. Arda Güler picks out Jude Bellingham, who finishes to put the visitors in front.
- 30′, Espanyol level through Álex Calatrava, assisted by Javier Hernández, to make it 1-1 at the RCDE Stadium.
- 32′, Tempers flare after the equalizer. Both Vinícius Júnior and Calatrava are booked for unsportsmanlike conduct within seconds of each other.
- 64′, Mourinho makes a double change, bringing off Álvaro Carreras and Arda Güler and introducing Marc Cucurella and Youssouf Diomande.
- 90′, Carlos Espi, on as a substitute since the 80th minute, converts to win it in the final seconds and give Real Madrid all three points.
Tactical Breakdown
Real Madrid controlled the ball from start to finish, finishing with 65 percent possession and a 95 percent pass accuracy on 242 attempts. Their 4-2-3-1 pressed high and built quickly through Güler’s line-breaking passes in the first half, with the early goal a product of that directness. Five of their six shots came from inside the box, and though their expected goals figure of 0.26 was modest given the volume of possession, the game plan was to keep Espanyol pinned back and manufacture moments rather than spray the ball wide.
The decisive tactical moment came with Mourinho’s triple substitution at the 80th minute. Bellingham, Bernardo Silva and Denzel Dumfries all made way, and it was the last of those changes, Espi coming on for Bellingham, that proved most significant. With Espanyol having made five substitutions of their own and tiring legs at the back, Espi had the space to settle the game in stoppage time. The double change at 64 minutes, removing Güler and Carreras, also reshuffled Real Madrid’s shape on the flanks and disrupted Espanyol’s defensive reference points.
Espanyol worked hard to stay in the match and their equalizer was merited after a positive ten-minute spell. But the hosts managed only two shots on target across the full game, and with an xG of 0.48 from five total attempts, they lacked the firepower to punish Real Madrid’s defensive lapses. Calatrava and Hernández both departed before the hour-mark following their yellow cards, and the late bookings for substitutes Pol Milla and Pablo Lozano in the 90th minute illustrated how the final stages unraveled for the home side.
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Verdict
The win moves Real Madrid to five points from two games in La Liga, sitting fifth in the early standings but with a game in hand on Sevilla and Alaves above them. Espanyol, who had started their campaign with a win, drop to third after their first defeat, though it is far too early in the season for either side to read too deeply into the table. For Mourinho, three points from a difficult away trip is a clean return heading into a busy schedule.