La Liga – Bellingham scores as Real Madrid defeat Espanyol 2-1

In the second round of the 2026/27 La Liga season, a key match took place, with Real Madrid, playing away, defeating Espanyol 2-1 thanks to goals from Bellingham and Carlos Ezpi.

Three minutes into the match, Real Madrid striker Vinicius Jr. was brought down by Calatrava while dribbling forward, but the referee only awarded Real Madrid a free kick. In the 9th minute, Gueller took the free kick, and Bellingham headed it into the net, giving Real Madrid a 1-0 lead.

In the 15th minute, Real Madrid created an attacking opportunity. Carreras made a diagonal pass, and Mbappe, outside the penalty area, received the pass and unleashed a long-range shot, but the ball was caught by Espanyol goalkeeper Marco Dmitrovic. In the 20th minute, Gueller played a through ball into the penalty area, and Dumfries stepped up and fired a low shot, but it was blocked by Marco Dmitrovic.

In the 26th minute, Espanyol attempted a counter-attack. Calatrava passed the ball to Exposito, who took a long-range shot, but it was blocked. Clemens Riedle then controlled the ball and took a long-range shot, but the ball was blocked by Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois.

In the 30th minute, Javi Hernandez crossed from the penalty area, and the unmarked Calatrava slotted the ball home, leveling the score at 1-1 for Espanyol. In the 32nd minute, Vinicius and Calatrava clashed again, and the referee subsequently showed both players yellow cards.

In the 33rd minute, Carreras passed the ball to Mbappe, who entered the penalty area and shot, but the ball was saved by Espanyol goalkeeper Marco Dmitrovic. In the 42nd minute, Guler made a long pass to Mbappe, whose shot went wide.

In the first half stoppage time, Roberto Fernandez passed the ball to Exposito, who followed up with a shot, but it was blocked by Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois.

In the 49th minute of the second half, Espanyol created an attacking opportunity, with Calatrava receiving the ball and shooting, but the shot went wide. In the 53rd minute, Gueller took a corner kick, and Bellingham jumped up to head the ball towards the goal, but it was cleared by Espanyol goalkeeper Marco Dmitrovic.

In the 59th minute, Guler chipped a pass into the penalty area, and Konaté headed the ball towards goal, but Marco Dmitrovic caught it. In the 60th minute, Real Madrid won a free kick, and Mbappé took the shot directly, but the ball went over the post.

In the 70th minute, Mbappe received a pass from Cucurella and shot, but his effort was blocked by an opposing player. In the 78th minute, Bellingham orchestrated an attack, and Mbappe received the ball and shot, but his effort was again blocked. In the 82nd minute, Carlos Ezpi passed the ball to Mbappe, who received it outside the penalty area and fired a long-range shot, but it went wide.

In the 90th minute, Mbappe's attack was cleared, Carlos Ezpi regained possession and curled a shot into the net, giving Real Madrid a 2-1 lead again.

Ultimately, Real Madrid defeated Espanyol 2-1 away from home.

Image source: Internet