Real Madrid began their La Liga campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Espanyol on Saturday, recovering from an early setback to snatch all three points in a tense encounter.
Jude Bellingham gave Madrid the perfect start in the ninth minute, rising to meet Arda Guler’s delivery from a set piece and directing a close-range header inside the left post.
The early advantage, however, failed to settle the visitors. Espanyol gradually grew into the contest and were rewarded in the 30th minute when Alex Calatrava produced a superb finish, latching on to a pass before firing into the top-left corner to level the score.
Madrid continued to create openings before the interval but were unable to restore their lead. Kylian Mbappe was twice denied, with Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic making important saves, while Thibaut Courtois also had to produce a fine stop to keep out a powerful effort from Exposito shortly before half-time.
The second half remained closely contested, with Madrid enjoying spells of possession but Espanyol continuing to pose a threat on the counter.
Bellingham came close to scoring again in the 53rd minute when his powerful header from a corner was deflected onto the crossbar by Dmitrovic.
Madrid increased the pressure as the match progressed. Mbappe had an effort blocked, Vinicius Junior fired over from inside the box, and Federico Valverde struck the right post with a rebound in the 78th minute.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 90th minute.
Carlos Espi, introduced in place of Bellingham 10 minutes earlier, received a precise pass inside the penalty area and calmly slotted the ball past Dmitrovic to restore Madrid’s lead at a crucial moment.
Espanyol pushed for a late equaliser during four minutes of added time but could not find a way through the Madrid defence.
The victory was far from straightforward for Real Madrid, who were forced to withstand sustained resistance after surrendering their early advantage. But their late winner ensured they left with maximum points and maintained their perfect start to the league campaign.
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