Real Madrid beat Espanyol to stay perfect under Alonso

Militão and Mbappé on target as Los Blancos move top of LaLiga table.

MADRID – Real Madrid extended their flawless start to the LaLiga season with a 2-0 victory over Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday, as Xabi Alonso’s early reign continued in impressive fashion. Goals from Éder Militão and Kylian Mbappé lifted the hosts to the top of the standings while ending Espanyol’s unbeaten run.

The opening spell offered little attacking fluency from Madrid, who laboured to find rhythm against well-organised opponents. It took a moment of audacity from Militão to break the deadlock after 27 minutes, the defender unleashing a dipping strike from distance that Marko Dmitrović could only tip into his own net.

Espanyol showed glimpses of threat on the counter and nearly equalised before the interval when Edu Expósito’s inswinging free-kick bounced narrowly past Fernando Calero at the far post. Within seconds, Mbappé spurned a chance to punish the miss, dragging his shot wide from inside the box as Madrid pressed to extend their lead.

The Frenchman made amends almost instantly after the restart. Cutting in from the left, Mbappé bent a low shot inside the near post to double Madrid’s advantage just two minutes into the second half, effectively killing the contest. Espanyol coach Manolo González responded with a triple substitution but his side remained second best, and Vinícius Júnior struck the post after Dmitrović parried another Mbappé effort.

With Madrid in full control, Alonso was able to withdraw teenager Franco Mastantuono to warm applause, and the closing stages passed with little incident. Espanyol, without a league win at the Bernabéu since 1996, struggled to mount any late pressure and suffered their first defeat of the campaign (W3, D1, L1).

For Madrid, the result marked their 10th win in 11 home matches and a continuation of their flawless start under Alonso (W11, D1, L1 in all competitions). With their new coach quickly instilling confidence and consistency, Los Blancos look well set in the early title race.

Player of the Match: Kylian Mbappé
Scored a fine individual goal after halftime and remained Madrid’s most dangerous outlet, forcing chances for both himself and Vinícius Júnior.