Real Madrid gains strength against Espanyol and keeps the pulse in LaLiga
The goals from Vinicius, Militao and Asensio at the end come back from a clash that Joselu started in the early stages
MADRID, 11 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Madrid successfully managed (3-1) the visit of RCD Espanyol to the Santiago Bernabéu this Saturday after a frantic game in the first moments that they had to come back from in the first half to continue keeping their pulse on their league aspirations, in the match corresponding to matchday 25 of the Santander League.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team once again offered their best version as an ‘advance’ before their hard and key commitments against Liverpool this Wednesday in the Champions League and FC Barcelona again in the League next Sunday, in a key week that they arrive without failures to continue putting pressure on the solid and leading Barça team, six points behind the whites in the table, although with one game less.
Although Diego Martínez’s team took the lead before minute 10 with Joselu’s goal, a brilliant home-mark from Vinicius first and a superb header from Militao later, were enough to overcome a clash that Asensio sentenced in the final moments. Hard corrective for a Espanyol that is two points from relegation and that prolonged its bad run of results in the Madrid fiefdom where it has not won for 23 years.
At the Santiago Bernabéu, the visiting dominance made itself felt from the first bars of a clash that started with a lot of rhythm. Thus, the plan of the parakeet team to wait for the counterattack with advanced pressure surprised the whites who saw that in just ten minutes they were already behind on the scoreboard. A serious mistake by Camavinga on the left side was taken advantage of by Rubén Sánchez to put a cross into the heart of the area from where Joselu did not miss.
An emotional blow for the whites, unable for the moment to generate danger against a solid Espanyol in defense, who also did not stop trying in attack. However, the individual quality of the madridistas did not take long to prevail in the figure of a Vinicius who pulled the car to tie the match after 23′. The Brazilian, very active on his flank, shot the diagonal into the area, taking a perfect hit at the long post, beating Pacheco on his stretch.
A breath of fresh air for Carlo Ancelotti’s men who brought out their best football after the goal. The madridistas put their entire game into the rival field, cornering an Espanyol in their area who could only hold out until 40′. Militao rose above all the visitors’ defense to head a cross with Tchouameni’s outside and finish clearing up the doubts with a superb goal with which the comeback culminated before going to the changing rooms.
Already in the second part the same script continued on the grass. The white team took the initiative with control of the ball that allowed them to secure their income during the second 45 minutes. Thus, Rodrygo came to have the clearest, but his free kick crashed into the crossbar. Although in the closing stages the parakeet team threatened to react, the defensive solidity of the whites did the rest to decant a clash that Asensio closed in the final moments.
The recently signed Spanish international took advantage of a fantastic play by Nacho from the left wing, from where he got away from up to three rivals, to end with a masterful strike against which Pacheco could do little or nothing. Victory of merit for a Real Madrid that charged the batteries before facing a key week in their league and European aspirations.
–RESULT: REAL MADRID, 3 – ESPANYOL, 1. (2-1, at halftime).
REAL MADRID: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Nacho, Camavinga; Kroos (Ceballos, 74th minute), Tchouameni (Rudiguer, 74th minute), Modric (Asensio, 72nd minute); Valverde, Rodrigo and Vinicius (Alvaro Rodriguez, min.90).
SPANISH: Pacheco; Óscar Gil (Pierre-Gabriel, min.69), Sergi Gómez (Melamed, min.84), César Montes, Cabrera, Rubén Sánchez (Puado, min.75); Gragera (Denis Suárez, min.75), Vini Souza, Sergi Darder; Braithwaite and Joselu.
0 – 1, min.7, Joselu.
1 – 1, min.23, Vinicius.
2 – 1, min.40, Militao.
3 – 1, min.93, Asensio.
–REFEREE: Figueroa Vázquez (C. Andaluz). He admonished Cabrera (min.19) and Óscar Gil (min.56) for Espanyol, and Vinicius (min.32), Ceballos (min.86) and Carvajal (min.88) for Real Madrid.
–Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
