Real Madrid fell to defeat against Espanyol in a disappointing result, as Gerard Moreno’s last minute goal gave the hosts the three points. Los Blancos had been on a five-game winning run but that all came to an end with this loss.
The goal came in the 93rd minute of the match, and it was a very good finish by Moreno, whose effort beat Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas. This sent the home fans into a frenzy, and gave Espanyol their first win against Real Madrid in 22 matches.
It could be argued that Espanyol had the better of the chances before they eventually scored too, as Moreno went close three times before finding the net. For Real, Gareth Bale went close with a header early on but was unable to convert.
A key story of the match was that star man Cristiano Ronaldo was rested so played no part whatsoever. Karim Benzema was also left on the bench, With Asensio, Bale and Vazquez as the attacking options. They were unable to break through though.
Bale had the best chance, as a deflected cross came in and the Welshman’s close range header was saved by Diego Lopez. Keylor Navas had an interesting game in the Real Madrid goal, as his poor clearance nearly let Moreno in, but Navas tipped the effort wide.
Espanyol were the better team in the second half, hitting the crossbar with an Oscar Duarte header. Moreno’s header was then saved by Navas. After going close again, Moreno then grabbed the winner with the last kick, converting Sergio Garcia’s cross into the net with an excellent finish.
This defeat has left Zinedine Zidane’s side in third place, 14 points behind the La Liga leaders Barcelona, who also have a game in hand. Real host Getafe next, with a 7:45pm kick off UK time.
