Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid Player Ratings: Carlos Espí Wins It In Injury Time For Los Blancos As Espanyol Leave Heartbroken Inspite Of A Huge Fight

Real Madrid handed a bunch of new signings their debut in the La Liga 2026/27 opener as they faced Espanyol away from home. The likes of Ibrahima Konate, Bernardo Silva, and Denzel Dumfries took the field along with the old guard to kick off the new season in style.

Los Blancos wasted no time in scoring their first goal of the Jose Mourinho 2.0 era, as Arda Guler's free kick was headed under Marko Dmitrovic's first post by Jude Bellingham in the 9th minute to silence the energetic RCDE Stadium for the time being.

Edu Expósito came close to equalizing in the 26th minute, but his shot went just above the crossbar. However, RCD Espanyol didn't have to wait long as Javi Hernández cut it back for an unmarked Álex Calatrava, who smashed it home past Thibaut Courtois to make things level.

Real Madrid pushed for the winner in the second half, and Bellingham almost got his second, but his header was tipped over by Dmitrovic this time.

Just when the game looked to be heading for a draw, young forward Carlos Espí emerged to be an unlikely hero as Mbappé's surge into the box with the ball found Espí after the Espanyol defense failed to deal with it properly, and the 21-year-old calmly passed it into the back of the net amongst the bodies of players in front of him.

An animated Jose Mourinho was seen celebrating on the sidelines, as a youngster once again proved to be the unsung hero in one of those heart-stopping nights for Los Blancos.

The Espanyol vs Real Madrid Player Ratings below will give you a clear picture of who impressed the most and who underperformed in this enthralling La Liga clash.

Key Takeaways

• Vinícius Júnior won the most duels (12).
• Arda Guler recorded the most key passes in this game (7).
• Ibrahima Konaté had the most defensive actions in this match (5).

Espanyol Player Ratings vs Real Madrid

Have a look at the Espanyol Player Ratings from the Espanyol vs Real Madrid Player Ratings.

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs Espanyol

Here are the Real Madrid Player Ratings from the Espanyol vs Real Madrid Player Ratings.

Man of the Match

Arda Güler was adjudged Sportsdunia's man of the match in this La Liga fixture.

Worst Performer

Omar El Hilali was the worst of the lot from Espanyol vs Real Madrid.