Militao and Mbappe stunners keep Madrid perfect
Real Madrid extended its perfect LaLiga start with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Espanyol thanks to stunning strikes from both Eder Militao and Kylian Mbappe.
Espanyol arrived at Santiago Bernabeu brimming with confidence, having recorded three wins from its first four matches – the club's best start to a LaLiga campaign since 1995-1996 – but it was undone by two moments of magic.
Xabi Alonso’s side broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute when defender Militao hammered into the top corner from nearly 30 yards out.
Espanyol, to its credit, continued to probe and carved out a golden opportunity on the stroke of half-time, only for Fernando Calero to miss a point-blank header from a floated free-kick.
That miss proved costly two minutes into the second half as in-form Mbappe did his best to match Militao’s brilliance with a 25-yard strike of his own.
Having received a pass from Vinicius Junior, the Frenchman beat Marko Dmitrovic at the near post with a perfectly struck shot.
Mbappe later squandered several chances as the hosts attempted to run riot, first lobbing over the bar off a lovely set-up from Franco Mastantuono before firing two successive shots straight at Dmitrovic.
Alonso's team has now won its opening five league games, and move five points clear at the top of the table.
