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Real Madrid overcame a gutsy Girona side 4-1 at the Estadi Montilivi and moved to the top of the LaLiga table. Borja Garcia's opener against the run of play in the 17th minute was cancelled out by Sergio Ramos' penalty as both teams remained level at the halftime break.
After a difficult first 45 minutes, Real took control in the second half as a brace from Karim Benzema and a second goal of the season for Gareth Bale helped Julen Lopetegui's men achieve a convincing 4-1 win in their first away game of the season.
A one-goal margin is all that separates leaders Real Madrid and second-placed Barcelona. Real's next game is against Leganes at home while Girona will face a stern test away to Villarreal.
On that note, here are the hits and flops from the game:
#5 Marco Asensio
Marco Asensio was one of the few Real Madrid players that sparked right from the get-go. As the game progressed, the Spaniard started getting more involved in the attacking build-up and produced a magnificent performance.
Asensio dazzled in the second half and played an important role in two of Real's goals. Firstly, he earned the penalty in the first half that brought Real their equalizer through Sergio Ramos.
The 22 year old was causing problems for the Girona defence as they were unable to keep track with his swiftness and ball movements. Asensio drew another penalty in the opening five minutes of the second half when he was fouled near the byline and the resulting spot-kick was converted to give Real the lead.
Marco Asensio was a livewire down the left-wing and he played in an instrumental role in Real Madrid's win during different stages of the game. The former Mallorca man summed up his night with two assists, two shots, three long balls and a solitary key pass.
#4 Marc Muniesa
Former Barcelona and Stoke fullback Marc Muniesa was the culprit for giving away the first penalty. Girona were in front at that stage and a challenge by the 26-year-old on Marco Asensio left Muniesa in shock in spite of it being an intentional foul as he did trip the Real Madrid winger.
From an overall point of view, Muniesa was lacklustre on the night as they were just glimpses of his skills. Going forward, the left-back's service into the box lacked quality as many of his crosses were comfortably intercepted by the Madrid defence.
Muniesa's passing game was also below par as a number of passes were wasted or misplaced, adding further insult to injury especially during the stage of the game when Girona were trailing in the second half.
Defensively, he did a decent job and made a couple of good tackles. However, facing Gareth Bale down the right-wing was always going to be a difficult challenge for Muniesa and the Welshman ultimately had the last laugh.
#3 Gareth Bale
Ever since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid's Welsh talisman Gareth Bale has found the much-needed motivation that has seen him make a strong start to the domestic campaign already.
Bale has nailed his place in the starting XI under new manager Julen Lopetegui and his performances are a testament to that. His rich vein of form continued and the winger showcased that he is ready to handle the responsibilities and carry the team on his shoulders.
Bale contributed an assist and three key passes which was later capped off by a superb goal when he got away from an attempted challenge of Marc Muniesa and slotted the ball in the bottom left corner to make it 3-1 for Real that confirmed that there was no coming back for Girona from that scoreline with less than 20 minutes left on the clock.
Real Madrid's third goal of the night was a milestone for Gareth Bale as it was his 150th career goal in club football and 89th for Los Blancos.
#2 Pere Pons
Girona midfielder Pere Pons put in an abysmal performance against the reigning European Champions on Sunday night. The Spaniard had very little contribution in the game and had nothing to show for during his stay on the pitch.
Early in the second half, Pons conceded a penalty for a mistimed foul near the byline as he was unable to keep Marco Asensio from dribbling his way to the near post. It was a clueless and unnecessary error from the 25 year old as Girona fell behind immediately in the second 45 minutes.
The resulting goal knocked down the home team's confidence as they had to re-think their tactics. However, the consequences increased as Real Madrid added a third goal shortly after and the game started drifting away from Eusebio Sacristan's side.
From an in-depth point of view, Pons completed only 75% of his passes going forward and failed to adapt to the situation of the game. Defensively, he was nothing better, lacked the required effort and intention in his performance as he committed two unnecessary fouls before being duly substituted in the 70th minute.
#1 Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema got off the mark in the race for the golden boot and capped it off with a brace. Real Madrid are in the hunt for a new forward but the Frenchman proved why he's been such a reliant and trusted over the last few years.
Benzema was at his usual, holding up the play, setting up passes and taking a chance or two on his own. The 30 year old completed 87% of his passes and racked up three long balls along the way as Real took control in the second half.
The striker's first goal was from the spot, a coolly converted penalty to put Real in front early in the second half. Benzema's second was during the closing stages, two touches of a Gareth Bale low cross was easily put in the bottom right corner to increase Real's to 4-1 and give them a one-goal advantage in the points table.
Benzema will pretty much have the similar amount of workload he's been used to in recent years but in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, there will be added responsibility.
But at the same time, the former Lyon striker will have an opportunity to increase his goal tally from past seasons as he can enhance and develop himself into a more out-and-out goalscorer with the service and supply he will receive from the Los Blancos playmakers.
