Match report and top-scoring players on Comunio / Sofascore: Espanyol vs Real Madrid

RCD Espanyol

The context pitted two teams at very different points in the calendar. Espanyol arrived after kicking off LaLiga with a 3-0 win over Levante, while Real Madrid were playing their first match of the campaign after the postponement of the opening round against Real Sociedad. The game also marked the official return of José Mourinho to the Real Madrid dugout in league competition.

First half

Madrid started the match better, quickly settling in the opponent's half and trying to win the ball back close to the Perica area. The first advantage also came through a route that could become an important weapon for Mourinho. In the 9th minute, Arda Güler delivered a cross from a wide free-kick into the box and Jude Bellingham attacked the delivery to head home the 0-1. A connection between two of the squad's most creative players that worked straight away.

The white side had chances to turn that control into a bigger advantage. Dmitrovic won a one-on-one with Dumfries with his leg in the 20th minute after another pass from Güler, while Riedel responded five minutes later with a powerful shot that Courtois had to parry away. Espanyol had struggled at the start, but gradually they began to find spaces to break out of Madrid's pressure.

That improvement crystallised in the 30th minute. Javi Hernández found depth and picked out Álex Calatrava inside the area. The attacker got away from the marking of Álvaro Carreras and finished the cutback to make it 1-1. The goal changed the tone of the match and gave Manolo González's side confidence, as they stopped simply holding out and began to contest more phases of the game.

Madrid still had a superb chance to go into the break ahead. Mbappé went one-on-one with Dmitrovic in the 37th minute, but the Serbian goalkeeper again proved decisive. The first 45 minutes ended level: Mourinho's team had created more danger, but Espanyol had managed to survive the visitors' strong start and punish one of their advances with a well-built move.

Second half

Espanyol came out of the dressing room without giving up on attacking. Calatrava had an opportunity almost immediately after the restart, although he didn't get his volley on target inside the box. Madrid's response came from a set piece: in the 53rd minute, Bellingham won the aerial duel again from a corner and Dmitrovic made a great save before the ball struck the crossbar. It was another warning from a Madrid side that were finding it difficult to turn their possession into sustained chances.

Mourinho began making changes in the 64th minute. Cucurella and Diomande came on for Álvaro Carreras and Arda Güler, but Espanyol continued to defend with discipline and forced Madrid to attack from the outside in many times. Vinícius looked for a breakthrough down the flank without finding a finish, and the match was gradually moving into a phase that looked increasingly favourable for a possible draw.

The chance that seemed to point to the outcome arrived in the 77th minute. Fede Valverde collected the ball on the edge of the area and fired his shot against the post. Two minutes later Mourinho returned to the bench and this time the move would prove decisive: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Camavinga and Carlos Espí came on for Dumfries, Bernardo Silva and Bellingham.

Espanyol reached the final stretch defending a point they had worked for over many minutes, but Madrid found the action they were looking for just as the margin ran out. In the 90th minute, Carlos Espí scored the 1-2 and decided the match barely ten minutes after coming on. The forward again showed his ability to make an impact in just a few minutes, giving Mourinho a victory in his official return to LaLiga.

Top Comunio / Sofascore performers

17

Álex Calatrava
5.260.000€+80.000€    -

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For Espanyol, Álex Calatrava was the standout fantasy name. His equaliser took him to 11 Comunio points and a 7.3 rating on Sofascore. Beyond the direct reward of the goal, he was one of the players who best read the spaces when the Pericos managed to get past Madrid's initial pressure. For managers, his performance confirms he can bring in points even in matches where Espanyol do not have the initiative.

Unai Núñez also left a good impression, with 6 Comunio points and a 7.1 on Sofascore, in a defence that was under constant pressure from visiting attacks. Dmitrovic finished with 5 points and a 6.9 after keeping the team going with several important interventions. Javi Hernández, with 5 points and a 6.8, added fantasy value thanks to his direct involvement in Calatrava's equaliser.

14

Bellingham
23.510.000€+540.000€    9

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For Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham was the highest-scoring player on Comunio: 14 points and an 8.1 on Sofascore. He scored the first goal, came close to another header in the second half, and was a constant threat in set-piece situations. His arrival from the second line once again presents itself as an important source of points.

The most striking impact, however, was Carlos Espí. He played only the final stretch and finished with 13 Comunio points and an 8.4 on Sofascore, the best Sofascore rating of the white side. Coming on in the 80th minute and deciding the game in the 90th is exactly the kind of performance that can boost his prominence and make him a very interesting name to follow in fantasy.

Arda Güler completed another profitable display with 10 Comunio points and a 7.9, driven by his assist for Bellingham and his ability to create danger from set pieces. Fede Valverde reached 8 points and a 7.5, while Konaté added 7 and a 7.3. By contrast, some of the more heavily weighted attacking names had a much quieter day: Mbappé finished with 2 Comunio points and a 6.4, and Bernardo Silva also ended on 2 points and a 6.3.

Technical details

Result: RCD Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid.

Goals: 0-1, Jude Bellingham (9'); 1-1, Álex Calatrava (30'); 1-2, Carlos Espí (90').

Stadium: RCDE Stadium.

Referee: José María Sánchez Martínez. VAR: Jorge Figueroa Vázquez.

RCD Espanyol: Dmitrovic; Omar El Hilali, Riedel, Unai Núñez, Roger Hinojo; Urko González de Zárate, Edu Expósito, Javi Hernández, Tyrhys Dolan; Álex Calatrava and Roberto Fernández. Rafa Bauza, Vanja Drkusic, Pere Milla, Pol Lozano and Jofre Carreras also played.

Real Madrid: Courtois; Dumfries, Konaté, Huijsen, Álvaro Carreras; Fede Valverde, Bernardo Silva, Arda Güler; Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé. Cucurella, Diomande, Camavinga, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Carlos Espí also played.