September 20, (THEWILL) — Éder Militão and Kylian Mbappé delivered the decisive strikes that earned Real Madrid a 2-0 victory over Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabéu, handing the visitors their first defeat of the season. Both goals came from long distance, with the Brazilian defender opening the scoring in the 22nd minute through a spectacular 30-yard effort before the French forward added a second early in the second half.
Militão’s opener arrived after receiving a routine pass from Fede Valverde, the centre-back opting to try his luck from distance and sending a right-footed missile into the top left corner.
The goal broke the deadlock against Espanyol’s disciplined defensive block, which had successfully frustrated Real Madrid during the early exchanges at their home ground.
Mbappé doubled the advantage just two minutes into the second half, converting his seventh goal of the campaign with another long-range strike.
The French international had missed a promising opportunity before half-time but responded immediately after the break, finishing off excellent wing play from Vinícius Júnior who created the chance with a powerful run down the left flank.
Manager Xabi Alonso made notable changes to his starting lineup, introducing Raúl Asencio in place of suspended Dean Huijsen whilst Dani Carvajal took over from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The match also marked the return of Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga, both players making their first appearances this season after lengthy injury absences.
The victory extends Real Madrid’s perfect start to six consecutive wins in the 2025/2026 campaign, maintaining their position at the top of La Liga.
The result ends Espanyol’s encouraging beginning to the season under manager Manolo González.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
