Militao and Mbappe strike as Real Madrid maintain perfect start

Madrid: Real Madrid maintained their flawless start to the LaLiga season with a 2-0 victory over Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday courtesy of goals from Eder Militao and Kylian Mbappe in each half, handing their rivals their first defeat of the campaign.

The result sees Real Madrid sit comfortably atop the standings on 15 points after five matches, five clear of Espanyol and Barcelona, with the reigning champions having a game in hand ahead of their clash with Getafe on Sunday.

Centreback Militao opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a stunning strike from 30 metres, his thunderous right-footed effort leaving Espanyol keeper Marko Dmitrovic no chance as it flew into the top-left corner.

Mbappe extended their lead shortly after the break, curling a precise shot into the bottom-left corner from the edge of the box, assisted by a marauding Vinicius Jr.

Espanyol arrived in Madrid in fine form, unbeaten in their first four matches with three wins, but found themselves outclassed in what began as an unexpected top-of-the-table encounter.

Real, fresh off a 2-1 win against Olympique de Marseille in their Champions League opener, brought Vinicius Jr back into the starting line-up after the Brazilian winger was benched midweek by manager Xabi Alonso.

Vinicius was a constant threat down the left flank, forging a strong partnership with left fullback Alvaro Carreras and linking effectively with Mbappe in attack. The Brazilian played a pivotal role in Real’s dominance, creating a flurry of opportunities.

After Militao put the home side in the lead with a fabulous goal, Vinicius put his teammates in great position to score several times and Real could have gone to the break with a wider margin of victory.

Mbappe, who missed a golden chance just before halftime when his effort narrowly went wide, redeemed himself by extending their lead in the 47th minute after another great run by the Brazilian from the left.

Vinicius came close to adding his name to the scoresheet in the 65th minute, striking the post from close range after latching onto a rebound. He missed another attempt a few minutes later thanks to a fine save by goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic.

Espanyol struggled to threaten Real's defence and created only one scoring opportunity in the entire match, with the home side firmly in control throughout.

"I'm happy. I think we played a complete game," captain Dani Carvajal told Real Madrid TV.

"We suffered very little defensively against a well organised, very intense opponent, who had 10 points out of 12 to start the season. We're still at the top of the table and we've achieved our goal today."

Real Madrid were further boosted by the return of Jude Bellingham, who had been sidelined since having an operation two months ago to address a long-standing left shoulder issue. The English midfielder came on in the 88th minute, playing his first minutes of the 2025-26 campaign.

Real Madrid’s next test will be an away trip to face Levante on Tuesday, while Espanyol will aim to bounce back at home against Valencia the same day.