Real Madrid prepared themselves for upcoming matches against Liverpool and Barcelona with a win over Espanyol on Saturday. Vinicius Junior proved himself as one of the in-form forwards of the world yet again.
On Saturday, at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid narrowed the gap with Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table by beating Espanyol 3-1. Espanyol scored an early lead within eight minutes with Joselu's shot from inside the penalty area.
Nonetheless, Vinicius Jr showcased a fantastic skill by dodging three defenders before scoring, levelling the score for Madrid. Eder Militao followed up with a header before halftime to give Carlo Ancelotti's side the lead.
In the 93rd minute, Marco Asensio sealed an excellent performance and secured the victory.
Espanyol had aimed to secure their first win at the Bernabeu since 1996, and they made an impressive start with Joselu scoring to put them in the lead. In midfield, there was a tussle between Sergi Darder and Aurélien Tchouaméni, the referee overlooked it, and Espanyol capitalized on the opportunity to keep playing.
Ruben Sanchez received a long ball and managed to get behind Eduardo Camavinga. He controlled the ball on his chest and delivered a low cross towards Joselu, who hit the ball first time into the top corner, giving Espanyol an early lead.
Real Madrid had an instant response, with Dani Carvajal missing an opportunity from Vinicius' cross. Vinicius Jr continued to pose a significant threat, and he managed to equalize for his team in the 21st minute with another fantastic solo effort.
The Brazilian forward cut inside from the left and took a shot with his right foot through a cluster of four pink-shirted Espanyol defenders to level the score at 1-1.
Despite not being the main contributor, Vinicius was involved in the build-up of the second goal for Madrid. He passed the ball to Tchouameni, who delivered a superb cross with the outside of his left foot.
Eder Militao then headed the ball into the net to give Real Madrid a 2-1 lead.
After taking the lead, Real Madrid eased up their play, already thinking about their upcoming match against Liverpool. Luka Modric was substituted, possibly to save him for the Champions League second leg against Liverpool.
Meanwhile, the substitution allowed Marco Asensio to come on and prove his worth for a place in the team.
Asensio was given only one chance, which he capitalized on perfectly. Nacho played a long pass from the back, finding Asensio's run behind the opposition defenders. The Spanish winger calmly finished past Pacheco, securing the victory for Real Madrid.
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