Espanyol 0-1 Real Madrid
Real Madrid toiled tonight, but a priceless victory over bottom club Espanyol has sent Los Blancos two points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga.
An outrageous piece of skill by Karim Benzema teed up the only goal of the game for Casemiro, which put Zinedine Zidane’s team in a great position to win the 2020 Spanish title.
The news from yesterday that Barcelona had dropped two points away to Celta Vigo didn’t change the emphasis on this game, but it did present a chance for Los Blancos to tighten their grip on the 2020 La Liga title race. Meanwhile, Iago Aspas’ late equaliser for Celta against Barca was another blow to the survival hopes of Espanyol.
Real’s head coach will have hoped his in-form side would deal with the bottom club ruthlessly, but the hosts fought hard and with no little skill, and ZZ will be delighted to come away with another crucial three points.
There’s still a way to go SBOBET fans, with twists and turns to come, but as of right now, Los Blancos are in control.
Highlights of the game
Espanyol fans must have been very happy with what they saw in opening half hour. The bottom club looked comfortable and offered as much attacking intent as the league chasers, and they had a great chance in the opening minutes.
Wu Lei sprinted past Real full-back Marcelo and pulled a brilliant ball back into the danger area to Sergi Darder, who hit a sweet shot which Raphael Varane did ever so well to block and clear.
The hosts’ keeper, Diego Lopez, showed his worth too when Casemiro tried a spectacular shot from way out which the Espanyol stopper clawed back off the line.
Casemiro had another chance minutes later when Varane flicked on a cross from Toni Kroos, but he fired over with the goal gaping.
The Barca supporters in Spain and around the world will have been watching the La Liga 2020 updates with a serious interest, and some optimism, when Raul de Tomas’ flick on was collected by Darder and passed on to Wu Lei who got an early shot away, but it flew over the bar.
Los Blancos knew they were in a game and moved up a gear. Kroos swung a cross in which Ramos headed firmly, but straight into the hands of Diego Lopez. The tide was turning, though.
And when Los Blancos went ahead seconds before the break it was a work of art. Karim Benzema found space on the right side of the penalty area, took the ball in his stride, and sent a simply sublime backheel across the six-yard box for Casemiro to slam it into the net.
Espanyol desperately needed something, and they had another great chance early in the second half. Victor Lopez broke down the right wing before squaring to Wu Lei, but he shot straight at Thibaut Courtois.
At the other end, Benzema hooked a shot which Lopez stretched to tip over, but Espanyol plugged away. de Tomas tested Courtois with a long-range dead ball kick but the Belgian keeper was equal to it.
The Espanyol top scorer was a constant threat as the underdogs desperately tried to salvage something. Courtois had to race off his line to clear when de Tomas was lurking.
Key statistics
The La Liga 2020 betting odds had Los Blancos at 1.45 to win and they dominated possession, but they won the shots on target count by a narrow margin of six to five.
Real Madrid have now won 40 of the 54 head-to-head games against Espanyol since 1994, but the biggest stat of all is clear enough on the latest La Liga table. Real Madrid are now two points clear at the top of the table with six games to play.
Zinedine Zidane’s side has restarted in phenomenal form, winning all five games, while Karim Benzema, Los Blancos’s top striker, made his 117th assist today for Real in all competitions.
What’s next?
Next up, Real Madrid have a big match against Getafe, and if they can successfully navigate that game then they will be a big step closer to winning a dramatic La Liga.
Before the resumption, we took a look a look at the potential winners and losers in La Liga and didn’t hold out much hope for Espanyol in their relegation battle. With matches against Real Sociedad and Barcelona to come in the next three games, they need a miracle.
And sadly, if they don’t make the great escape, they’ll struggle to keep hold of Raul de Tomas. But tonight they fought hard, and they are not dead yet.
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