Real Madrid handed Espanyol their first defeat of the season, securing a 2–0 victory thanks to two long-range efforts from Éder Militão and Kylian Mbappé.
Four days after another Champions League comeback, Real Madrid returned to the Santiago Bernabéu with the hopes of continuing their perfect start in 2025–26. Xabi Alonso opted to deploy Raúl Asencio in place of the suspended Dean Huijsen while Dani Carvajal took the place of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Real Madrid’s makeshift backline was tested early against Espanyol, but held firm long enough until the hosts grabbed control of the game. Manolo González’s men were soon pinned inside their own half while Los Blancos patiently poked and prodded their opponent’s disciplined low block in search of an opening goal.
The eventual breakthrough came from an unlikely source in Militão. The Brazilian received a rather harmless ball from Fede Valverde and decided to try his luck from 30 yards out, rifling a right-footed missile into the top left corner of the net to put Real Madrid up 1–0 in the 22nd minute.
Mbappé nearly doubled Los Blancos’ lead on the brink of halftime, but the Frenchman sent a glorious opportunity wide, visibly frustrated with his off-target effort. He made up for his miss just two minutes into the second half, firing a show-stopping strike from distance to claim his seventh goal of the season.
It was Vinícius Júnior who set up the goal, though, with a blistering run down the left flank. The 25-year-old will be disappointed the woodwork denied him of getting on the scoresheet later in the match, but he will be happy with notching an assist after Alonso did not start him against Marseille.
Although there were no more goals for Real Madrid, the sea of white shirts at the Santiago Bernabéu still had plenty to cheer about in the closing minutes of the match. Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga logged their first minutes of the season, both returning from lengthy injury spells.
With three points against Espanyol, Real Madrid extended their winning streak to six matches in 2025–26, keeping a strong foothold atop the La Liga standings.
Check out Real Madrid’s player ratings from the victory below.
Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Espanyol (4-4-2)
Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Sergio Mestre (GK), David Alaba, David Jiménez, Fran García, Dani Ceballos, Endrick.
Player of the Match: Éder Militão
Espanyol (4-2-3-1): Marko Dmitrović; Omar El Hilali, Fernando Calero, Leandro Cabrera, Carlos Romero; Urko González de Zárate, Pol Lozano; Javier Puado, Tyrhys Dolan; Edu Expósito, Roberto Fernández.
Subs: Jofre Carreras, Charles Pickel, Luca Koleosho, Kike García, Antoniu Roca.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Espanyol: Mbappe Extends Scoring Streak in 2–0 Victory.