Real Madrid maintained their flawless start under Xabi Alonso with a 2-0 victory over Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday, thanks to goals from Éder Militão and Kylian Mbappé.
Espanyol arrived in Madrid full of confidence after a bright start to the season, but their hopes of an upset were quickly dashed. Militão opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a thunderous strike from outside the box — his first goal in almost a year — leaving goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic helpless.
Madrid pressed for a second before the break, with Mbappé narrowly missing from a tight angle. Just two minutes after the restart, however, the Frenchman made amends, lofting a sublime effort from 25 yards into the net to double the hosts’ advantage.
Mbappé continued to torment Espanyol’s defense, coming close on multiple occasions, while Vinícius Júnior also struck the post. Espanyol’s only real chance came in the 67th minute when Dani Carvajal almost diverted a cross into his own net, but Thibaut Courtois reacted well to spare Madrid any nervous moments.
Late on, Dmitrovic denied Vinícius again before Jude Bellingham made his long-awaited return from shoulder surgery, coming on to a rapturous reception in place of Mbappé.
The win preserves Alonso’s 100% record as Real Madrid boss, with five victories from five league games, and keeps Los Blancos firmly in control at the top of LaLiga.
