Real Madrid continued their perfect start to the 2025–26 season, comfortably dispatching Espanyol 2–0 at the Santiago Bernabéu.
What was advertised to be a close battle between the first and third-place teams in La Liga turned into a dominant afternoon from Real Madrid. Xabi Alonso’s men never looked in doubt of three points, which were ultimately secured by long-range goals from Éder Militão and Kylian Mbappé.
The victory extended Los Blancos’ winning streak to six matches across all competitions. It also keeps Real Madrid firmly atop the La Liga standings with a trip to Valencia coming in just three days.
Here’s three takeaways from Real Madrid’s victory.
Xabi Alonso’s Experiment Up Top Falls Flat
Alonso continued his trend of rotating Real Madrid’s frontline, this time by giving the nod to Gonzalo García alongside Mbappé. The breakout star of the FIFA Club World Cup had yet to start a match this season, playing just 19 minutes across all competitions in 2025–26 until Saturday afternoon.
The decision ultimately wound up being a head-scratcher, especially since the manager admitted playing Mbappé, Gonzalo and Vinícius Júnior in the Club World Cup semifinals was one of the reasons Real Madrid came up short against Paris Saint-Germain.
Two months after the failed experiment in the United States, the three forwards were back on the pitch together without much success yet again. Gonzalo, in particular, struggled to get anything going; the Spaniard created zero chances, mustered zero shots and managed just two touches in Espanyol’s penalty box.
Gonzalo did well to help Real Madrid press when they lost the ball, but otherwise, the 21-year-old was a nonfactor in the clash at the Santiago Bernabéu. Alonso would have been better off playing Franco Mastantuono as a No. 10 and giving Rodrygo the nod up top had he wanted to try a new system without Arda Güler on the pitch.
Real Madrid’s Makeshift Defense Holds Up
Question marks surrounded Real Madrid’s defense heading into a clash with Manolo González’s men, who came into the fixture with eight goals in four matches. Without the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold and the suspended Dean Huijsen, Dani Carvajal and Raúl Asencio rounded out Alonso’s backline.
Despite the defensive shake-up, Los Blancos locked down Espanyol, limiting the visitors to just one shot on target in 90 minutes. Real Madrid also became the first team to register a clean sheet against the Catalans this season.
Éder Militão deserves much of the credit; the center back not only delivered inside his own half, but he also scored the match-winner with an audacious strike from distance. Yet Asencio, Carvajal and Álvaro Carreras played their roles to perfection, hardly putting a foot wrong at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The defensive masterclass from Real Madrid will be a massive boost of confidence for Alonso, who will be without Alexander-Arnold, Ferland Mendy and Antonio Rüdiger for the foreseeable future. The only real loser of the afternoon was David Alaba; the Austrian will find it hard to log much of any minutes moving forward after Asencio’s strong performance.
The Curious Case of Vinicius Junior
After being overlooked for Rodrygo in the Champions League on Tuesday, Vinícius Júnior returned to Real Madrid’s XI on Saturday. The Brazil international has found plenty of success against Espanyol in the last two years, bagging three goals and two assists in his last five clashes with the Catalan side.
Yet Vinícius Júnior had an underwhelming first half, marred by unsuccessful dribbles down the left flank. The 25-year-old was almost bullish in his efforts, determined to blow by Espanyol’s defense despite at least two players closing him down at every opportunity. He even drifted to the right wing at times just to get himself more involved in the attack without much success.
It soon became a tale of two halves for Vinícius Júnior, though. The forward finally got the better of Omar El Hilali, using his speed and dribbling ability to create Mbappé’s goal in the 47th minute. The connection between the two superstars seemed to boost Vinícius Júnior, who went on to create the most chances in the game and hit the woodwork before Alonso pulled him in the 77th minute.
The Brazilian still lost nine duels against Espanyol, the most by any player on the pitch, but his second-half performance made up for his lackluster opening 45 minutes. It remains to be seen if it was enough for Alonso to give Vinícius Júnior his permanent place on the left wing back, or if the Brazil international will have to continue competing for his starting job.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as No Alexander-Arnold or Huijsen, No Problem: Takeaways From Real Madrid's 2–0 Win Over Espanyol .