Real Madrid beat Espanyol thanks to Espi's goal in the 90th minute
Real Madrid began the La Liga season with a 2-1 away victory over Espanyol. The decisive goal in the 90th minute was scored by 21-year-old forward Carlo Espi, who came on as a substitute around 10 minutes before the end of the match.
According to Channel NewsAsia, the Madrid side opened the scoring as early as the ninth minute. Jude Bellingham headed Arda Guler's cross into the near corner.
Espanyol equalized
The hosts responded in the 30th minute. Alex Calatrava was left unmarked and scored past Thibaut Courtois after Javi Hernandez entered the penalty area and sent a pass across the goal.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
In the second half, Real coach Jose Mourinho made several substitutions in an attempt to snatch victory. He brought on, among others, newcomers Marc Cucurella and Yan Diomande. In the 78th minute, Federico Valverde hit the post after Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic saved Bellingham's shot with one hand.
Espi's late goal
Espi capitalized on a loose ball after Kylian Mbappe lost possession and scored the winning goal with a powerful shot. The forward joined Real from Levante during the offseason.
After the match, Mourinho said it would be difficult for Espanyol to get over the defeat because the team played well and held on until the final minutes. At the same time, the Portuguese coach said his team deserved to win and praised the players who came on as substitutes.
