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Real Madrid starting line-up: Thibaut Courtois, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Nacho, Odriozola, Casemiro, Ceballos, Luka Modric, Marco Asensio, Isco, Karim Benzema
Espanyol starting line-up: Lopez; Vila, Naldo, Hermoso, J.Lopez; Roca, Granero; Perez, Darder, Piatti; Iglesias
Final Score: Real Madrid 1-0 Espanyol (Marco Asensio 41')
The 5th gameweek of LaLiga saw Real Madrid triumph over Espanyol thanks to a 1-0 scoreline at Santiago Bernabeu.
Los Blancos entered the game having played out a 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao in the Primera División, whereas Espanyol had picked up a 1-0 victory versus Levante prior to this fixture.
With 41 minutes on the clock, Marco Asensio opened the scoring for Real Madrid. A shot by Luka Modric from the edge of the penalty area hit a blue and white shirt before bouncing over to the 22-year-old, who had no problems finding the bottom right-hand corner of the net with a powerful strike. The referee had to check with VAR but the goal was eventually confirmed after a minute-long wait.
The second half then went scoreless, as Real Madrid tried to cement their lead while the visitors endeavored to get back into the game through an equalizer. Consequently, they did create problems for the Spanish giants and it was not entirely a walkover for Julen Lopetegui's side.
However, they still managed to hold on to their one-goal lead for the remaining minutes to walk away with all three points in hand as they stand on the top of La Liga table having managed 13 points in five outings altogether. Their arch-rivals, Barcelona, are only one point adrift of them as they go head-to-head against Girona tomorrow.
Here's how Twitter reacted to the encounter.
