Kylian Mbappé continued his prolific form with another goal as Real Madrid eased past Espanyol 2-0 on Saturday to extend their perfect start to the La Liga season.
Xabi Alonso’s side have now won all five of their opening league matches, and Mbappé, who joined from PSG in the summer, has found the net five times in as many games.
Centre-back Éder Militão opened the scoring with a thunderous strike from distance in the 22nd minute, before Mbappé sealed the victory early in the second half with a superb effort from outside the box. The Frenchman’s goal took the sting out of the contest and preserved Madrid’s 100% record across all competitions this season.
The win sees Madrid move five points clear at the top of the table ahead of reigning champions Barcelona, who host Getafe on Sunday.
Alonso’s Madrid appear to be growing in confidence and cohesion with each match. Defensively suspect at times last season, they looked far more assured on Saturday — a fact that pleased veteran defender Dani Carvajal.
“It was a complete performance, and we suffered very little at the back,” Carvajal told Real Madrid TV. “We’re improving in the way the coach wants us to play. We’re top of the table — mission accomplished for today.”
Madrid controlled proceedings from the outset against an Espanyol side that had arrived at the Bernabéu in third place and unbeaten. But the visitors were given a reality check by a Madrid team that looked a class above throughout.
It was Militão who broke the deadlock with a rocket into the top corner, capitalizing on Madrid’s early dominance. Mbappé nearly added a second before halftime after good work from Vinícius Júnior, but dragged his shot wide.
Mbappé kills the game
The second goal came shortly after the restart. Vinícius, still working his way back to form after a couple of recent benchings, carried the ball forward before teeing up Mbappé, who fired a low strike past Marko Dmitrović at the near post from outside the area.
Vinícius nearly got on the scoresheet himself, striking the post after Dmitrović made a brilliant double save to deny Mbappé. The Brazilian looked livelier and was more involved in the final third than in previous outings.
Alonso gave rare starts to young striker Gonzalo García and brought back Vinícius to freshen up the attack. Later in the second half, Jude Bellingham made his long-awaited return from shoulder surgery, coming off the bench alongside Eduardo Camavinga for their first appearances of the season.
Earlier in the day, Levante thrashed Girona 4-0 in a clash between two sides in very different form. Girona, who finished third last season to qualify for the Champions League, ended the match with nine men and now sit bottom of the table without a win.
“After five weeks, we are the worst team in the league,” admitted Girona coach Míchel Sánchez. “It’s a tough situation, but we’re not giving up. I have to turn this around, and I will.”
AFP
