The spontaneity, strong spirit, and dances of Vini brought a celebration to the Bernabeu audience. He scored one goal and provided an assist, guiding Real Madrid through a match filled with missed opportunities.
Two halves, two faces
To watch Real Madrid games late and stay healthy the next morning? Sleep through the first half. The new Madrid, without Toni Kroos but with Kylian Mbappe, often struggles in the first half but explodes after halftime. This was evident again at the Bernabeu against newcomers Espanyol. Despite dominating and creating many chances, Real Madrid couldn’t capitalize, and an unexpected mistake by Thibaut Courtois let Espanyol take the lead early in the second half.
Fortunately, Vinicius came through
After Courtois’ blunder, Vinicius sparked a comeback. Madrid scored four quick goals, including strikes from Vini, Dani Carvajal, Rodrygo, and Mbappe.
Based on the demands of a packed schedule and the team’s physical needs, Carlo Ancelotti has started rotating players, as he promised weeks ago. Fran Garcia and Arda Guler started in place of Ferland Mendy and Vinicius, with Tchouameni stepping into defense, allowing Antonio Rudiger to rest. Despite some early misses from Mbappe, Guler impressed in midfield with his chemistry alongside Modric. Eventually, Vinicius came on and became the catalyst for Real Madrid’s win, bringing the much-needed energy and chaos that disrupted Espanyol’s defense.
