Karim Benzema scored two late goals as La Liga champions Real Madrid beat Espanyol in a thrilling finale.
Vinicius Jr gave Real the lead from a clever Aurelien Tchouameni ball.
Benzema volleyed in Rodrygo’s cross to give Real the lead and he added a third from a free-kick against makeshift goalkeeper Leandro Cabrera.
Espanyol’s starting goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte was shown a straight red card in the sixth minute of injury time for a professional foul on Dani Ceballos – after a long video assistant referee review.
The hosts had a goalkeeper on the bench but had used their three substitution windows so had to put captain Cabrera in goal instead.
He was rooted to the spot as Benzema – who also had a goal disallowed for offside – curled the resulting free-kick into the bottom corner. That was his 327th goal for Real and his first from a direct free-kick.
Defending champions Real have won their opening three games of the La Liga season.
Espanyol, without a win this season, will rue their missed chances when the game was 1-1.
Rice, a staple for Christmas celebrations in Nigeria, has become a luxury this year. Soaring…
Panic erupted on Saturday at a concert in Lagos when the stage collapsed during Odumodublvck’s…
The Federal Government of Nigeria has allocated ₦6,364,181,224 billion for the refurbishment and rehabilitation of…
The black market dollar to naira exchange rate for today, 22nd December 2024, can be…
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has refuted claims that the 60,000 barrels per…
Manchester City finds itself in unprecedented turmoil, with relegation-level form showing little sign of improvement.…
