Real, who had lost to Moldovan minnows Sheriff Tiraspol on Tuesday, blew a chance to pull ahead of Atletico Madrid, who beat crisis-hit Barcelona 2-0 on Saturday to draw level with their city rivals on 17 points. Espanyol inflicted Real's first league defeat of the season.
Real Madrid dominated the possession from the start but Espanyol took the lead on 17 minutes at the RCDE Stadium in Catalonia when Raul de Tomas found the net from close range.
Aleix Vidal scored a sparkling second goal after nutmegging Nacho and smashing the ball past Real 'keeper Thibaut Courtois 15 minutes into the second half.
Just as Espanyol appeared to be about to extend their advantage again, Karim Benzema pulled a goal back on 71 minutes, firing into the bottom corner after collecting a pass from Luka Jovic.The goal encouraged Madrid to push for an equalizer that they were unable to score. Benzema's goal is his ninth LaLiga goal this season, in 8 games. The French forward is having an amazing start to the season also registering 7 assists.
Espanyol had won just once in seven games this season but they hung on in five minutes of added time to take all three points.
Real Madrid's next game will be home against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday 17th October. Espanyol will host Cadiz next on Monday 18th October.
October 3, 2021