Real Madrid 4-1 Espanyol: Mbappe and Vinicius lead Los Blancos comeback

Vinicius Junior came off the bench to score one and assist another as Real Madrid battled from behind for a 4-1 fightback victory over Espanyol in LaLiga.

Madrid dominated proceedings on Saturday but fell behind in the 54th minute after a rare blunder by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who inadvertently deflected a low cross from Jofre into his own net.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side found an equaliser just four minutes later, however, with a close-range strike by Dani Carvajal on the follow-up from Jude Bellingham’s cross.

Vinicius worked his magic soon after, lifting a brilliant cross to Rodrygo – who netted with a 75th-minute first-time effort – before scoring himself with a tidy finish from a counter-attack only three minutes later.

Kylian Mbappe finished off the win from the penalty spot after substitute Endrick was fouled inside the box in the 90th minute.

Madrid remain second on 14 points, one behind leaders Barcelona, who have a game in hand and visit fourth-placed Villarreal on Sunday.

5 – Real Madrid have become the first team to score five goals from penalties after their first six games of a LaLiga season in the entire 21st century. Infallible. pic.twitter.com/aVuGEobZD5

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) September 21, 2024

Data Debrief: Penalty perfection for Madrid and Mbappe

Mbappe has scored three of his four goals from 12 yards in Spain’s top division, making him just the second Los Blancos player to score from the penalty spot in three consecutive LaLiga matches this decade.

Former international team-mate Karim Benzema was the other Madrid player to manage to do so, between March and April 2022 (also three), and Mbappe will be hoping to follow in his countrymen’s footsteps.

Vinicius’ influence should not be ignored, however, with the Brazil winger scoring and assisting in the same game as a substitute for the first time in his Madrid career across all competitions (272 appearances).

That pair ensured a dominant outing for comeback kings Madrid, who accumulated a massive 4.49 expected goals (xG) to Espanyol’s minimal 0.24.