By Sergio Silva
Sep 21, 2024, 6:30 PM EDT
He real Madrid made a good comeback this Saturday at the Santiago Bernabéu to end up winning against Espanyol (4-1) giving a new demonstration of the offensive power that the current LaLiga champion has.
The Brazilian’s second-half entry Vinícius Juniorwho provided an assist and scored a goal, set the pace for the Merengue team’s comeback, which was only complicated by a surprising own goal by the Belgian goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois (m.54).
However, Espanyol’s joy lasted just four minutes, having arrived at the Casa Blanca inspired after two consecutive victories. In a play identical to that of the Catalans’ goal, Jude Bellingham came in from the left and sent in a cross that was half-stopped by the rival goalkeeper.
Dani Carvajal (m.58) appeared to push the ball into the back of the net, leveling the score and setting the table for a new Real Madrid comeback, this time led by Vinícius Júnior who did not take long to help the home team take the lead.
It was in the 75th minute through Rodrygo. The Brazilian forward finished off a spectacular cross from the left by his compatriot, who hit the ball with the outside of his right foot, taking the Espanyol defence by surprise.
Rodrygo’s goal finally gave Carlo Ancelotti’s team some peace of mind, as they continued to dominate but struggled to score. The goal finally opened the floodgates for more goals to come and Real Madrid achieved their third consecutive victory in this league after a somewhat weak start.
Vinícius himself added to the lead after a combination with Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman sent him a long ball and the Brazilian beat the opposing defenders to send a low cross-shot to the left post, making it 3-1 (m.78).
In the final stretch of the match, there was a penalty for the Whites and the one in charge of taking it was Mbappé. Maintaining the order of a penalty for Vini and one for him, this time the Frenchman also did not miss from the twelve steps and put the final 4-1 for the victory of Real Madrid.
After a 3-1 victory over Stuttgart in the Champions League opener in midweek, Carlo Ancelotti’s team added their fourth straight win on Saturday and are now in second place in the Spanish league, one point behind FC Barcelona, who play Villarreal on Sunday.
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