Real Madrid had Vinicius Junior to thank as they came from behind to beat Espanyol 4-1 on Saturday.
An unfortunate Thibaut Courtois goal early in the second half piled on the pressure, but Madrid responded by bringing Vinicius off the bench and celebrating Dani Carvajal’s equalizer soon after.
Rodrygo headed home a second 15 minutes from time, before Vinicius grabbed his deserved goal to put the game to bed, and there was still time for Kylian Mbappe’s late penalty to send the fans home happy.
How the game happened
Madrid saw plenty of chances in the opening ten minutes, going close when Mbappe’s shot was well deflected by Joan Garcia.
Garcia got down again to deny Mbappe after a clever pass led to a powerful strike on the edge of the box, with Madrid looking to take advantage with 82% possession in the first 25 minutes.
Jude Bellingham hit the post but deflected his effort past Garcia who, despite being busy with two goalkeepers, did not need to do anything spectacular as Madrid were forced to settle for a lackluster first-half effort.
Madrid went into the break with 77% possession to their name and 14 shots on goal, but they could have very few complaints about the scoreline.
Unexpectedly, Espanyol almost took the lead shortly after the restart. Left-back Carlos Romero curled a powerful effort from distance towards the goal and had an uncertain Courtois wading in to cross.
A surprise lead came soon after. Jofre Carreras’ low cross deflected off Arda Guler and into the back of the net through the legs of Courtois to put Espanyol ahead on 55 minutes. In response, Vinicius entered.
After three minutes it was 1-1. The goal was easy in the opener, Bellingham’s low drive bounced under him and almost stopped on the goal line for the onrushing Carvajal to tap home.
Vinicius’ introduction helped turn the game on its head and the winger set up Rodrygo’s go-ahead goal with 15 minutes remaining.
A wonderful pass from the outside of the boot beat the offside trap perfectly and landed in the path of Rodrygo, who would have missed from six yards.
The creator almost converted the goals after Vinicius collected Mbappe’s pass and slotted home to remove any doubt about the result.
In the final few minutes, Endrick was awarded a penalty after winning a long tussle with Romero, and Mbappe made no mistake from 12 yards.
GK: Thibaut Courtois – 5/10 – There was very little we could do but put the ball in the back of the net. There wasn’t much he could do.
RB: Dani Carvajal – 6/10 – He was sloppy and out of position for Espanyol’s opener. I’m about to fix it with the simplest goal you can imagine.
CB: Eder Militao – 7/10 – It’s surprisingly intimidating in the Espanyol box. Smart passes appear more often than you would expect.
CB: Aurelien Tchouameni – 6/10 – It’s cozy and laid back. He is given time to use his passing distance.
LB: Fran Garcia – 6/10 – Lived down the left as he tried to shoot Madrid.
DM: Federico Valverde – 7/10 – He lifted the loose balls like a man possessed. The key to Madrid’s continued pressure.
DM: Luka Modric – 7/10 – He pulled the strings with good passes behind Espanyol’s defence. You probably deserved help.
RM: Arda Guler – 7/10 – He was buzzing with real energy as he tried to join the field and attack. You are involved in many good times. Unfortunately for your purpose deviation.
AM: Jude Bellingham – 8/10 – A circular game that saw Bellingham avoid tough challenges and try to drive their way through Espanyol’s defence. Unsurprisingly he is inspired by the equalizer.
LM: Rodrygo – 7/10 – He was solid for most of the game but his impressive work rate led to a deserved goal.
ST: Kylian Mbappe – 7/10 – Certainly not his best performance but he showed his selfless side to play through Vinicius for the third goal. Penalized at home late penalty.
What you are holding
SUB: Vinicius Junior (55′ for Guler) – 8/10
SUB: Lucas Vazquez (61′ for Carvajal) – 6/10
SUB: Antonio Rudiger (83′ for Rodrygo) – N/A
SUB: Endrick (83′ for Bellingham) – N/A
Subs used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Fran Gonzalez (GK), Ferland Mendy, Jesus Vallejo
The manager
Carlo Ancelotti – 6/10 – He took the risk of resting and Vinicius did not pay. It is wise to abandon the hope of keeping the Brazilian on the bench when Madrid was beaten 1-0.
Man of the match – Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
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