Real Madrid bounced back from a goal down to beat Espanyol 3-1 in their La Liga clash at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Joselu gave the visitors a surprise lead in the eighth minute but Vinicius Junior quickly brought Madrid level, curling a shot into the bottom corner. Rodrigo Goes twice went close as Madrid pushed for a second before Eder Militão cleared Aurelien Tchoumeni’s cross over the bar to put the home side ahead just before half-time.
A quiet second half saw Rodrigo hit the woodwork with a free kick and substitute Marco Asensio netted a third goal in extra time as Madrid took three points to retain some hope of chasing league leaders Barcelona.
Vinicius, Militão, and Asensio end Madrid’s goal drought
Going into this game, the talk was that Madrid’s forward line was not fit for purpose, having scored just one goal in their last three games – youngster Álvaro Rodríguez’s header against Atlético Madrid on 25 February – the previous weekend’s 0–0. Losing more ground in the title race with a 0-0 draw with Real Betis. Those concerns were quelled here by Karim Benzema being ruled out with an ankle injury.
It was a weird, short-lived issue to focus on. Does anyone really doubt the quality and goal-scoring ability of Benzema, Vinicius, and Rodrygo after what we’ve seen over the past few years? And you don’t even need to go that far back. As coach Carlo Ancelotti pointed out last week, this is a team that has conceded just five goals against Liverpool at Anfield.
Perhaps the team relies too much on Vinicius’ magic to unlock the opposition defense, but when he is in this kind of form, that is not a problem. The winger had four Espanyol defenders to beat when he picked up the ball and drove it infield to level the score at 1–1. Rodrigo is an intriguing prospect when picked centrally. Ancelotti’s favorite Benzema backup this season, he looked the most likely to score as Madrid chased a second goal. In fact, it was another Brazilian, Militão – who dominated in the air in both boxes – who put Madrid ahead with his sixth goal this season.
Madrid is the top scorer in La Liga despite Benzema’s absence, with 50 goals to Barcelona’s 46. If they fail to win the league – as looks likely – it will not be for lack of goals.
Defensive questions ahead of the Liverpool tour
Madrid’s defensive record this season has been solid; Only 1-0 specialists Barca have conceded fewer goals in LaLiga. That hasn’t stopped Ancelotti from repeatedly turning his back around, as if he’s not entirely pleased with what he’s seeing. Goal-scorer Militão is certainly part of that first-choice backline, but regular partner Antonio Rudiger hasn’t always sounded convincing. He was rested here, with veteran Nacho coming in at full-back as a reward for his recent performances.
Dani Carvajal starts at right-back when available, but provides far less cutting edge than in the past. At left-back, the unavailability of Ferland Mendy and David Alaba – both expected to return soon – saw Eduardo Camavinga out of position once again. He was at fault for Espanyol’s opener, unable to deal with Rubén Sanchez’s cross for Joselu. As you would expect for a midfielder, Camavinga is an asset going forward, but you would not want to line him up against Mohamed Salah on Wednesday as Liverpool look to make up for a three-goal deficit in their tie. Expect Mendy, if fit, to return to the team to face Liverpool.
Joselu returns to trouble Madrid once again
Only Robert Lewandowski has the 12 goals scored by Joselu, the Spanish top scorer in La Liga this season. The forward also has an incredible record against Real Madrid, scoring eight times against them in 10 matches across all competitions. He’s in impressive company; Only Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are ahead of him on that list since 2010.
The 32-year-old was briefly a Madrid player himself, scoring just once for the first team in an 8–1 win over Almeria in May 2011 – as well as dozens of goals for reserve team RM Castilla – before an erratic career. A path before that saw him play for Hoffenheim, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hannover, Stoke City and Newcastle United. He eventually returned to Spain with Alaves and now Espanyol, where he has become one of La Liga’s most consistent finishers of late.
Espanyol’s hopes of avoiding relegation this season – defeat here left them just two points above the bottom three at the final whistle – rest firmly on Joselu’s shoulders. Among their rivals for the drop, only Getafe can boast of such a reliable goal scorer, in Enes Unal.