Espanyol vs. Real Madrid: Score and Reaction from 2016 LaLiga Match
Real Madrid grabbed another win in LaLiga on Sunday, beating a tough Espanyol squad 2-0 at the RCDE Stadium.
Los Blancos and Espanyol were evenly matched in a sloppy first half, but a moment of genius from James Rodriguez gave the visitors the lead just before half-time. Karim Benzema doubled the lead in the second half, and the visitors controlled the proceedings from that point.
Real remain the only team that haven't dropped any points in Spain's top division.
As Real's official Twitter account shared, both Toni Kroos and the in-form Alvaro Morata started on the bench:
Los Blancos almost endured a nightmare start to the match, as Sergio Ramos cheaply gave the ball away to Leo Baptistao. The centre-back was able to intervene and avert major disaster, but it came at the cost of a yellow card:
Espanyol controlled the pace of the match early, and the RCDE Stadium treated the visitors to a chorus of whistles every time they touched the ball, leading to a difficult atmosphere to play in.
Ramos almost redeemed himself after eight minutes, powering a free header wide of the mark after he was left alone inside the box.
More poor defending from the visitors allowed Baptistao through on goal, but fortunately for Real, the former Atletico Madrid man fired his shot straight at goalkeeper Kiko Casilla. Per AS, Real's centre-backs did not cover themselves in glory:
Casemiro needed some treatment after a clash with Pape Kouly Diop, in which the official oddly awarded the foul to the Espanyol man. The Brazilian was able to continue for a short while but was eventually replaced by Kroos.
Alvaro Vazquez was the next man to go close to goal, firing a shot over the bar from 25 yards out. Play went up and down at a fair pace, but another knock forced another stoppage, with Ramos needing treatment. While the action was almost constant, chances were few.
Real improved toward the end of the half, however, with Kroos finding space. The German fired a shot over Diego Lopez's goal, before Benzema thought he'd opened the scoring, only to be called back for offside.
As Sky Football showed, the decision was the right one:
On the other side of the pitch, Baptistao nearly converted a great cross from Javi Lopez, pushing his header wide of the mark.
Espanyol appeared to be stronger toward the end of the half, but Rodriguez had other ideas, as he battled his way past two defenders before unleashing a fantastic strike that gave Diego Lopez no chance.
Per ESPN's Dermot Corrigan, it was a moment of brilliance in an otherwise flat performance:
Espanyol started the second half with renewed energy, determined to build on their solid showing, but Los Blancos tightened things up in defence and comfortably soaked up the pressure.
Pepe beat Baptistao in a crucial aerial battle, with Perez whipping in a dangerous cross, while Lopez produced a marvelous save to stop an acrobatic effort from Benzema.
Manager Zinedine Zidane introduced Isco to replace Rodriguez as he tried get more control over midfield, and the change seemed to have an immediate effect. Benzema had a shot deflected after some panic inside the Espanyol box, but he fared better shortly after, drawing another save from Lopez.
His next attempt provided the second goal. Lucas Vazquez teed the striker up perfectly, and the France international remained calm to double the lead.
Felipe Caicedo put Casilla to work shortly after. But the stopper reacted well to his hard strike, and substitute Morata couldn't trouble Lopez with a curling shot. Espanyol kept up their efforts, but Zidane's troops were in control, playing out the match on their way to three points.
Ramos threatened with a late free-kick, and Morata was called back for offside in a promising position as the match drew to a close.
Per Sport's Sam Marsden, one reporter questioned Zidane about Ramos' knock, asking whether he thought it was a handball rather than a strike to the face:
Quique Sanchez Flores, Zidane's Espanyol counterpart, had a different view, per Marsden:
Real's next outing will be at home against Villarreal on Wednesday, while Espanyol will visit Osasuna on Thursday.
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