MADRID — Real Madrid came from a goal down to beat Espanyol 3-1 on Saturday in their LaLiga clash at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Joselu gave the visitors a surprise lead in the eighth minute, but junior vinicius He quickly leveled Madrid, cutting inside to curl a shot into the bottom corner. rodrygo goes came close twice when Madrid pushed for a second, before eder militao headed Aurelien Tchouameni‘s cross from the crossbar to put the hosts ahead before the break.
A quieter second half saw Rodrygo hit the woodwork with a free kick and a substitution. Marco Asensio getting a third goal in stoppage time as Madrid grabbed all three points to maintain any hope of chasing down league leaders Barcelona.
quick reaction
1. Vinicius, Militao and Asensio end Madrid’s scoring drought
Before this game, there was talk that Madrid’s attacking line was not in shape, with only one goal scored in their last three games, young Álvaro Rodríguez’s header against Atlético Madrid on February 25, with the 0-0. -0 from last weekend. drew at Real Betis giving up more ground in the title race. Those concerns were exacerbated by Karim Benzema being ruled out here with a bruised ankle.
It was an odd short-term topic to focus on. Does anyone really doubt the quality and goalscoring ability of Benzema, Vinicius and Rodrygo after what we have seen in recent years? And you don’t even have to go that far back. As manager Carlo Ancelotti pointed out last week, this is a team that just scored five goals against Liverpool at Anfield.
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Perhaps the team is relying too much on Vinicius’ magic to unlock opposing defences, but when he’s in this kind of form, that’s no problem. The winger had four Espanyol defenders to beat when he picked up the ball and drove into the field to level the score at 1-1. Rodrygo is an intriguing prospect when he’s drafted centrally. Ancelotti’s favorite Benzema back-up this season, he looked the one he was most likely to score when Madrid chased a second goal. In fact, it was another Brazilian, Militao, dominant in the air in both areas, who put Madrid ahead with his sixth goal this season.
Madrid is the top scorer in LaLiga despite the absence of Benzema, with 50 goals compared to 46 for Barcelona. If they fail to win the League, as it seems, it will not be due to a lack of goals.
2. Defensive questions before the visit to Liverpool
Madrid’s defensive record this season has been solid; Only Barça, a 1-0 specialist, has conceded fewer goals in LaLiga. However, that hasn’t stopped Ancelotti from frequently changing his back four, as if he’s not entirely happy with what he’s seeing. Goal-scorer Militao is part of that first-choice back line, sure, but a regular teammate. anthony rudiger has not always been convincing. She rested here, with the experienced Nacho Entering as a prize for his recent performances as a winger.
Daniel Carvajal He starts at right-back when available, but offers far less cutting edge than in the past. On the left side, the unavailability of ferland mendy and david praises — both expected to return soon — they saw eduardo camavinga once again taken from his position. He was to blame for Espanyol’s premiere, unable to deal with ruben sanchezJoselu’s cross. Camavinga is an asset going forward, as you would expect from a midfielder, but you wouldn’t want to hold him against it. Mohamed Salah on Wednesday as Liverpool look to overturn a three-goal deficit in their draw. He hopes that Mendy, if he is fit, will return to the side to face Liverpool.
3. Joselu disturbs Madrid again
Only Robert Lewandowski He has more goals in LaLiga this season than the 12 of Joselu, the top Spanish scorer. The forward also has an incredible record against Real Madrid, scoring eight goals against them in 10 games in all competitions. He’s in awesome company; only Lionel Messi and louis suarez they are ahead of him on that list since 2010.
The 32-year-old was briefly a Madrid player, scoring just one goal for the first team in an 8-1 win over Almería in May 2011, as well as dozens of goals for reserve team RM Castilla, before a erratic race. path that saw him play for Hoffenheim, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hannover, Stoke City and Newcastle United. He eventually settled in Spain with Alavés and now with Espanyol, where he has belatedly become one of LaLiga’s most consistent finalists.
Espanyol’s hopes of avoiding relegation this season (the loss here left them just two points clear of the bottom three at the final whistle) rest firmly on Joselu’s shoulders. Among their rivals for relegation, only Getafe, in Enes Unal, can boast such a reliable scorer.
Best and worst performers
BETTER
Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid: Inspired Madrid’s first-half comeback and scored the goal of the match.
Joselu, Espanyol: An accurate definition gave his team the hope of surprising.
Rodrygo Goes, Real Madrid: Unfortunate not to score, he came close on three separate occasions, including hitting the crossbar.
WORST
Eduardo Camavinga, Real Madrid: Not a natural left-back, he was caught off guard by Espanyol’s first goal.
Martin BraithwaiteEspanyol: The former Barcelona player offered nothing on the left wing.
Vinicius Souza, Espanyol: Couldn’t compete with Tchouameni’s class, Toni Kroos and Luka modric.
Highlights and Highlights
After falling behind early on, Madrid drew level thanks to Vinicius doing Vinicius things.
Vini Jr. turned it on for the draw 🤩 pic.twitter.com/zALBwCGG4X
— ESPNFC (@ESPNFC) March 11, 2023
He then took the lead thanks to a header from Militao, though that goal came from an outrageous cross from Tchouameni with the outside of his boot.
Eder Militao puts Real Madrid up 2-1 🔥 pic.twitter.com/b6VTWqU5xf
— ESPNFC (@ESPNFC) March 11, 2023
After the game: what the players/coaches had to say
Carlos Ancelotti: “The game was good, we didn’t start well, it could have been complicated, but the goal didn’t affect the team’s attitude, we fought in the first half and controlled the second.”
Ancelotti on avoiding complacency against Liverpool: “We had an experience last year with Chelsea, we had the advantage and then it cost us. We can’t hide that we have an advantage, hopefully we take advantage of it with a great game, we have to go.” at the top for 90 minutes just like we did in the first leg.”
Vinicius Junior: “We are calm and (when we go back) we always come back. We have to keep doing that and keep improving, and thanks to the fans that came out today, we have to thank them and hopefully there will be more on Wednesday.”
Vinicius on his goal: “It’s a play I work on a lot in training, but in games it’s more difficult because there are a lot of players around me. But I did it well.”
Key statistics (provided by ESPN Stats & Information research)
Joselu’s first goal was his eighth against Real Madrid in all competitions, his second most against a single club (10 against Cádiz). Only Lionel Messi (11) and Luis Suárez (10) have scored more against the whites since 2010.
Joselu’s goal snapped Real Madrid’s seven-game goalless run at home against Espanyol in LaLiga, the club’s longest run against a single club in its league history.
Vinicius Junior has scored in both LaLiga games against Espanyol this season, after netting in the reverse fixture on August 28.
Eder Militao’s goal was his sixth in all competitions for Real Madrid this season; he had only scored four previously since he joined the club in 2019.
Militao has scored four of Madrid’s five headed goals in LaLiga this season, and has scored more goals in all competitions (six) than any other defender at a LaLiga club this season. Next on the list is Rayo’s florian lejeune (four) and several players have three including the one from Barcelona marcos alonso and sergi roberto.
Making his 400th appearance for the club, Toni Kroos recorded his 81st assist for Real Madrid in all competitions, four of which have been for Vinicius Junior.
Real Madrid’s last defeat when they were leading at half-time in all competitions was in January 2021 in the Copa del Rey against Alcoyano (2-1 after extra time).
Until next time
Real Madrid: Liverpool arrive at the Bernabeu on Wednesday looking to overturn a 5-2 deficit in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. So it’s the second of three classics In a matter of weeks, Madrid travel to take on LaLiga leaders Barcelona on Sunday March 19 (stream LIVE at 4 pm ET on ESPN+ in the US.).
Spanish: Celta de Vigo travels to Catalonia to face Espanyol next Saturday (broadcast LIVE at 1:30 pm ET on ESPN+ in the US.) as both sides seek to avoid being dragged further into the mire of relegation.
