Espanyol 1-0 Real Madrid: 5 Talking Points

It was another sombre night for the travelling Real Madrid fans whose side were beaten by Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium. Zinedine Zidane’s side had decent chances and more of the ball, but they just couldn’t find their way past a former player of theirs, Diego Lopez.

Just when it seemed the game was going to end in a goalless draw, a counter-attacking Espanyol move saw Sergio Garcia picking out Gerard Moreno with a good cross from the right and the latter buried the ball past a helpless Keylor Navas in the 93rd minute.

The winner was the last kick of the game and the defeat was Real Madrid’s fifth of the league campaign. Here are the talking points from the game…

#5 A game of two halves for Real Madrid

After more or less controlling the first half, Real Madrid allowed Espanyol into the game in the second half. The away side created a few chances in the first half, most of them were headed opportunities. Gareth Bale had a headed attempt saved in the opening 10 minutes while Raphael Varane couldn’t direct his header from a corner goalwards.

Espanyol’s best chance fell to Gerard Moreno who’s shot was saved brilliantly by Keylor Navas. But even that came from a Real Madrid mistake as Varane’s attempted pass to Kovacic was poor and the hosts intercepted it.

Madrid also had a penalty shout in the first half when Bale’s shot was inadvertently handled by skipper Victor Sanchez, but referee Jose Martinez thought otherwise.

The second half saw the hosts become a little more aggressive and from the word go, they pushed Real Madrid. They created a majority of the chances as Madrid just couldn’t stem the flow of chances.

#4 Gerard Moreno impresses

Espanyol v Real Madrid - La Liga — Moreno vies for the ball

The late goal was the cherry on top of what was a solid performance from the Espanyol number 7. Though his shooting was a bit wayward in the second half, he managed to put the ball in the back of the net when it mattered the most and gave his side the crucial three points.

Statistically, he was the best performer for the hosts. He managed to complete two dribbles on the night, won four aerial duels against the likes of Ramos and Varane and even did his work defensively by making a couple of tackles.

After getting dispossessed five times in the first half, Moreno was quicker in releasing the ball in the second half which also had a good effect on Espanyol’s attacking fluidity. The moves were much more direct and troubled Real Madrid.

#3 Real Madrid’s midfield flatters to deceive

Matteo Kovacic and Marcos Llorente were given the role of playing in the midfield as Zidane decided to rest the likes of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro.

Whole Kovacic tried to take matters into his own hands by making the forward runs and taking part in the attacking play, the duo didn’t have the same aura about them in terms of controlling the tempo and recycling possession.

Isco too had a disappointing game. Despite playing in an attacking position, it was Kovacic who mustered better numbers on the night. With a key game against PSG coming up, the Spaniard’s form will worry the Madrid fans.

Usually very expressive, Isco mustered just one dribble compared to Kovacic’s six and failed to provide the likes of Asensio and Bale with good support.

#2 Poor squad depth exposed once again

Zidane decided to play Bale up front again and though he has generally done well in that position this season, he isn’t your natural number 9. Borja Mayoral was on the bench, but let’s be honest, he has looked listless this season and isn’t really up to Real Madrid’s standards.

Saving players for the Champions League is well and good, but Madrid have an important summer coming up as some of the players who they presumed were good enough just haven’t been able to perform consistently.

Even the defence was troubled at times as Gerard Moreno had as many as six five shots despite Ramos and Varane starting the game.

Without Ronaldo, they just didn’t seem like they were going to score.

#1 Third place is the best Real Madrid can hope for

It’s been a dire domestic season for the holders and it could yet get worse. Zidane’s side are seven points behind Atletico Madrid who have a game in hand and unless Los Rojiblancos themselves have a terrible patch, we could see them finish ahead of their rivals.

Even Valencia are just a couple of points behind Real Madrid and have a game in hand, it a bit surprising that Los Blancos have totally forgotten about the league.

The Champions League is still a possibility as they have raised their game in Europe, but with the likes of Bayern, Barcelona and Manchester City in imperious form, they could finish the season red-faced.

Edited by Ashwin Hanagudu