Espanyol score first thanks to Courtois OG; Carvajal Equalises for Real Madrid; Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr and Mbappe follow through with goals to seal victory

• Madrid is rewarded a penalty in the closing minutes – Mbappe scores easily to seal the match for Los Blancos.

• Vinicius Jr assists Rodrygo and then receives one from Mbappe to make it 3-1

• Dani Carvajal sneaks the ball under the goalkeeper after a Bellingham shot; to get the hosts level almost instantly.

• Jofre Carreras strikes the ball through Courtois’s legs for Espanyol to take the lead.

Real Madrid dominated the proceedings at the Santiago Bernabéu from the start. Yet, they couldn’t find the back of the net in the first half of play. A scenario that has been common in all their games this season. Kylian Mbappe had a couple of sniffs at the goal and Bellingham found an opportunity too. But Joan Garcia was equal to defending all attempts. Real Madrid attempted 14 shots in the first 45 minutes against Espanyol to no avail.

RCD Espanyol de Barcelona did a good job of frustrating Real Madrid and limiting them to mostly shots from outside the box. They even tried to attack on the counter and to create opportunities to score. The first half ended in a goalless 0-0 scoreline. The critical second half required Espanyol to fend off Madrid’s push again. They began with a bang when Jofre Carreras’s strike went through Courtois’s legs for an own goal! Allowing Espanyol to take the lead in the Bernabéu.

Espanyol could dream for exactly 4 minutes before Dani Carvajal snuck the ball under the goalkeeper after a Bellingham ripper to equalise. Ancelloti substituted in Vinicius Jr and he made the key difference in the game. First, by assisting Rodyrygo to score and make it 2-1 for Madrid. Before teaming up with Mbappe to slot the ball past the goalkeeper for a 3-1 scoreline. In the closing minutes, Endrick was fouled just inside the box thus giving Madrid a penalty. Kylian Mbappe took it and scored easily to seal the match for Los Blancos.

Real Madrid completed a second-half comeback to continue their unbeaten record this season. They’ll now look forward to their Champions League match on Tuesday.