Real Madrid – Espanyol (4-1): match notes!

Real Madrid host RCD Espanyol de Barcelona in La Liga matchday 6 at the Santiago Bernabéu. Ancelotti’s men beat the Catalans 4-1 after trailing to a Courtois own goal thanks to goals from Carvajal, Rodrygo, Mbappé and Vinicius Jr.

Goal scorers: Carvajal (59th), Rodrygo (75th), Vinicius Jr. (77th), Mbappé (89th) and Courtois CSC (54ᵉ) for Espanyol.

Thibaut Courtois (4/10) : The Real Madrid goalkeeper made the mistake you shouldn’t make when facing a low block. Fortunately, it will remain anecdotal.

Dani Carvajal (7/10) : Author of the easiest goal of his career, Carvajal nevertheless recalls his accuracy in his overstepping of his role which sometimes allows him to finish as number 9. Very good match from the Madrid legend.

Aurelien Tchouaméni (7/10) : Acting as an interim central defender, the Frenchman shone with the calm he displayed with the ball as well as defensively. A performance full of control.

Eder Militao (6/10) : A few nice headers from corners that could have hit the target, just like some of his long passes and breakthroughs, well-judged and controlled.

Fran Garcia (6/10) : Willing and diligent on his left side, he brought danger and pushed aside the opposing low block while being fair defensively.

Federico Valverde (8/10) : Valverde continues to shine every time he is lined up as the most defensive midfielder thanks to his engine and his extraordinary recovery skills, with 3 interceptions and 2 successful tackles. He also did honor to the number 8 he wears on his back by having succeeded in 6 of his 7 long balls. Man of the match.

Luka Modrić (7/10) : Against a low block, the Croatian worked his magic to direct Real Madrid’s play and to bring danger on set pieces. He finished the match with 6 passes before a shot and a Kroos-esque 97% of successful passes in this match.

Jude Bellingham (8/10) : Magnificent performance by the Englishman in a very free role that allowed him to be in the thick of things. He won 100% of his duels and was very involved offensively in creating and creating an extra man in the box.

Arda Guler (6/10) : Excellent start to the match from the Turk who created a good number of chances for his teammates or for himself in the first quarter of an hour. He then faded as the match went on before coming off at the hour mark.

Kylian Mbappé (6/10) : Decisive passer to seal the victory on Vinicius Jr.’s goal and scorer on a penalty, the Frenchman took a long time before being right in the final gesture. In the finish, he did not manage to worry the Espanyol goalkeeper and he lost almost a third of the balls he touched during this match. Too poor to unblock the situation against a low block as number 9, even if he finished this average match by being decisive twice.

Rodrygo Goes (7/10) : Scorer on a caviar from Vinicius, the Brazilian grew in power as the match progressed after a first quarter of an hour where the game was mainly played on the right. He was excellent in the duels (6 won out of 7) and in his dribbling (4 successful out of 5).

Charles Ancelotti (7/10) : The Real Madrid coach took advantage of this encounter to rotate and the tactical set-up to start the encounter was perfect. His team remained mobilized after Espanyol’s goal and then rolled out.

Vinicius Jr. (came on in the 55th minute to replace Tchouaméni) 8/10: Excellent entry from the Brazilian star who was twice decisive to give Real Madrid the victory with a wonderful assist for Rodrygo and a goal.

Lucas Vazquez (came on in the 59th minute to replace Carvajal) 6/10 : Very correct entry from soldier Vazquez, author of 3 key passes in only 30 minutes.

Antonio Rudiger (came on in the 84th minute to replace Bellingham) : Not rated.

Endrick (came on in the 84th minute to replace Rodrygo) : Not rated.