In-form striker Kylian Mbappe netted again as Real Madrid beat Espanyol 2-0 on Saturday to extend its lead at the top of La Liga.
Xabi Alonso’s Madrid has won all five of its opening league fixtures, and French superstar Mbappe has netted five goals in the top flight.
Eder Militao opened the scoring with a screamer from distance 22 minutes into the match, while Mbappe buried the second from outside the box early in the second half.
Madrid is five points clear of second-place champion Barcelona, which hosts Getafe on Sunday.
England international Jude Bellingham made a late appearance as a substitute in the final stages, his first since undergoing shoulder surgery in the summer.
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Mbappe, who netted twice from the penalty spot in midweek as Madrid started its Champions League campaign with a win over Marseille, helped Alonso’s team maintain its 100 percent record across all competitions.
His goal effectively killed the game after Militao’s strike sent Madrid ahead.
Alonso brought Vinicius Junior back into the side and gave young striker Gonzalo Garcia a rare start in an attacking line-up.
Espanyol has not beaten Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu since 1996, but has started this season well, arriving in the capital third.
However, its visit to face Los Blancos was a reality check, and Madrid was comfortably on top throughout.
What happened in the match?
Despite Madrid’s dominance, it took a ferocious drive into the top left corner from long range by centre-back Militao to break the deadlock.
Mbappe fired narrowly wide after good work by Vinicius before half-time.
The Brazilian has been benched on a couple of occasions by Alonso and is still playing below his best, although he set up Mbappe for the second.
After driving forward with the ball, Vinicius laid it off to Mbappe, who flashed a shot past Marko Dmitrovic at the near post from range.
Vinicius hit the post after Espanyol’s Serbian goalkeeper made a fine double save from Mbappe.
Alonso brought on Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga for their first games of the season in the final stages of a comfortable afternoon for Real Madrid.
Levante thrashes outnumbered Girona
Earlier, Levante romped to a 4-0 win at Girona, which finished with nine men.
The Catalan minnows, who finished third in the 2023-24 campaign to reach the Champions League, are bottom, without a win this season.
“After five weeks, we are the worst team in the league, and all we can do is work hard,” said coach Michel Sanchez.
“I have to improve this team, and I will do it. It will be tricky to get out of this situation, but we’re not giving up the ghost.”
Published on Sep 20, 2025
