An Espanyol attacking move breaks down and Madrid hit them on a counter-attack. They work the ball around patiently before finding Diaz, but the striker is quickly closed down and is easily dispossessed.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
89'
Granero is the latest Espanyol player to head towards the Madrid box and try to carve out a chance on goal, but he ends up going down and handling the ball, resulting in a free-kick for the hosts.
87'
Roca embarks on a clever run towards the home side's penalty area and then tries to pick out Vila with a deft pass, but Odriozola deals with the danger well before thumping a clearance towards the halfway line.
85'
Espanyol are starting to show a bit more attacking intent as we enter the final five minutes of normal time. It feels as if they may have left it too late to grab an equaliser, though, as Madrid have remained relatively defensively solid for most of the night.
83'
The corner finds Llorente and now it's Madrid's turn to counter-attack. The substitute does really well to break forward, link up with Diaz and shoot, but his strike is underhit and can only find the hands of Lopez.
82'
Vazquez clumsily loses possession and allows Espanyol to quick counter-attack. Baptistao weaves his way into the hosts' box and shoots, but his effort is closed down and deflected behind for a corner.
81'
Poor from Asensio! The forward is left in acres of space in the middle of the pitch and is able to shoot from 25 yards out, but his strike is woefully executed and sails high over the crossbar.
79'
Marcos Llorente enters the game and replaces Isco.
Madrid have made a late change, with Llorente coming on to take the place of Isco.
Minute
Description
78'
Granero eventually steps up and shoots from the free-kick, but his curling strike hits the top of the Madrid wall and loops behind for a corner.
77'
Casemiro gets yellow.
Casemiro flies into Iglesias from behind and brings the number seven crashing to the ground, resulting in a yellow card and a free-kick for Espanyol in an excellent position just outside of the penalty area.
75'
What a chance for Ramos! The defender picks out Isco over on the left flank and then bursts into the box, where he latches onto the midfielder's perfectly placed cross and forces Lopez into making a diving save with a bullet header.
73'
A poor pass from Modric is cut out by Sanchez and Espanyol try to quickly counter-attack, but the midfielder runs into trouble and is dispossessed by Ramos on the halfway line.
70'
Sergio García enters the game and replaces H. Pérez.
Espanyol have made their third and final alteration, with Garcia coming on to replace Perez.
69'
Almost a chance for Ramos! A curling cross is fired into the middle of the Espanyol box and should be dealt with by Lopez, but the goalkeeper completely misses the ball. Luckily for him, Ramos, who is lurking at the back post, is also unable to latch onto it.
67'
Espanyol are starting to show a bit more attacking intent, with Madrid being guilty of leaving pockets of space available at the back. Once again a shot is unleashed from long range, but Courtois does well to collect it without any problems.
65'
Igelsias hits the crossbar! A terrible mistake by Ramos allows the striker to burst into the box and shoot, but his chipped shot ends up smashing the woodwork after leaving Courtois rooted to the spot.
64'
Iglesias, who hasn't seen much of the ball this evening, is finally able to get a shot away, but his effort from 20 yards out is poor and easily collected by Courtois.
63'
Lucas Vázquez enters the game and replaces Dani Ceballos.
Madrid have made another change, with Ceballos making way for Vazquez.
62'
Modric gets himself into a good position and shoots, but he has to settle for a corner after his strike is deflected wide of the far post. The Croatian's cross is a poor one, however, as it fails to clear the first man.
60'
M. Díaz enters the game and replaces K. Benzema.
Diaz receives a rousing round of applause as he comes on to replace Benzema up front.
59'
Espanyol have created little tonight, but whenever they push forward they seem to cause problems for Madrid. This time it's a swinging cross from the left that the hosts are just about able to clear away from danger.
57'
A dangerous cross from Odriozola almost picks out Asensio but is instead half cleared out to Casemiro. The Brazilian quickly shoots, but his strike is a scuffed one and fails to trouble Lopez.
55'
Víctor Sánchez enters the game and replaces Darder.
Léo Baptistão enters the game and replaces P. Piatti.
Espanyol have decided to make a double substitution. The first player to come on is Baptistao, who replaces Piatti.
And the second is Sanchez, with Darder making way.
53'
The home side continuing dominating possession as they try to embark on another attacking move, but a pass out from the back by Varane is poor and sails out of play for a throw in.
51'
Madrid have started the second half well and are putting Espanyol under plenty of pressure. This time it's Odriozola who fires a low cross into the box and picks out Benzema, but the Frenchman can't quite get a shot away before the linesman's flag is raised.
49'
Great strike by Isco! Madrid come back once again and carve out a chance through Isco, who unleashes a lovely shot from the edge of the penalty area that sails just wide of the far post.
48'
Modric goes close! Ceballos embarks on a lovely run into the left-hand side of the Espanyol box and pokes a pass over to Modric, who quickly forces Lopez into making a smart save with a thumping strike.
46'
We're underway once again!
45' +4
HALF-TIME: REAL MADRID 1-0 ESPANYOL
45' +3
Great chance for Nacho! The resulting corner is whipped into the penalty area and straight to Nacho, who rises high but can only send a glancing header wide of the goal.
45' +2
Javi López gets yellow.
Lopez is the second player to enter the referee's book after cynically dragging Ramos to the ground.
45' +1
Benzema goes close! Isco drifts out to the left wing and delivers a spectacular cross into the penalty area. Benzema rises high but ends up missing the ball by the narrowest of margins.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be two minutes of added time.
44'
A lovely pass from Isco penetrates the Espanyol box and almost finds Odriozola, but Hermoso is just about able to poke the ball behind for a corner that's easily cleared.
43'
Espanyol immediately lose possession from the restart and Madrid try to push forward on another quick counter-attack, but Odriozola is closed down over on the right wing and is unable to find a way past the halfway line.
41'
Marco Asensio has scored a goal for Real Madrid!
GOAL! Madrid have taken the lead! A deflected shot from Modric bounces over to Asensio, who has no problems finding the bottom right-hand corner of the net with a powerful strike. The referee has to check with VAR but the goal is eventually confirmed after a minute-long wait.
40'
Espanyol are able to enjoy a rare lengthy spell of possession, but they don't do enough with it and Madrid eventually win the ball back in the middle of the pitch.
38'
Espanyol are threatening to hurt Madrid on the break whenever the hosts are out of possession. This time it's Piatti who bursts forward, but Varane is there to close him down and concede a free-kick.
36'
Great opportunity for Espanyol! Another attempted Madrid attacking move breaks down and the visitors immediately fly forward on a quick counter-attack. Perez sprints towards the box and forces Courtois into parrying a shot out to Vila, who tries to unleash a follow-up but is dispossessed at the vital moment.
35'
Madrid come back once again, this time through Nacho. The full-back sprints into the left-hand side of the penalty area and picks out Asensio, but the forward's first touch is poor and denies himself a chance to shoot.
34'
What a chance for Casemiro! A Madrid corner is fired into the heart of the Espanyol box and picks out Casemiro, who manages to latch onto the ball but can only send his downward header wide of the near post.
33'
Asensio is eventually able to find his way into the penalty area and towards goal, where he cuts a pass back towards Benzema. The striker can't quite reach it, though, as Granero is there to get to the ball first.
31'
Plenty of possession for Madrid but they're struggling to find a way through Espanyol's well-drilled back line. There's a lack of movement up front, which is making life far too easy for the visitors.
29'
An attempted Espanyol attacking move breaks down, allowing Madrid to hit the visitors on a quick breakaway. Isco fires a lofted pass up towards the box and into the path of Benzema, but the striker isn't able to either latch onto the ball or keep it in play.
27'
Modric's cross into the penalty area is a decent one but he can't quite find Ramos, who's beaten to the ball at the far post. Madrid quickly come back again, though, but this time it's Nacho who sees his cross cleared away from danger.
26'
Marc Roca gets yellow.
Modric is fouled over on the right flank and Madrid are awarded a free-kick in a decent position. They can't make it count but are then presented with another free-kick after Roca clumsily catches Ceballos.
24'
It's proving to be a difficult period for Espanyol, who just can't seem to find a way out of their own half of the pitch. Madrid aren't doing enough with the ball, though, and they're yet to really make Lopez work.
22'
Odriozola is brought into play over on the right wing, but his cross is poor and sails over to the opposite flank. Nacho does well to keep the ball in but can't pull off a pass of his own, as there's a slight mix-up between himself and Ramos that results in a goal-kick.
20'
Benzema gets himself into a good position on the edge of the Espanyol box and looks to tee up Asensio, but Lopez is just about able to get a toe on the ball before the Frenchman can unleash a pass.
18'
Madrid patiently pass the ball around as they try to carve out a chance on goal. Ramos eventually shoots from 25 yards out, but his rocket of a strike is blocked by Benzema on its way to goal.
16'
Nacho makes good pressure down the left flank and wins the home side the first corner of the night. Modric steps up and crosses, but it's sent straight into the hands of Lopez.
14'
What a chance for Piatti! Madrid are carved apart on the break after falling asleep at the back. Perez sprints towards the penalty area and sets up Piatti, who then fires a low strike narrowly wide of the far post.
12'
After winning back possession, Espanyol quickly try to hit Madrid on an immediate counter-attack. A long ball is fired deep into the hosts' half of the pitch and towards Perez, who tries to latch onto the pass on the edge of the box but can't quite do so.
10'
Asensio and Casemiro link up well, setting up the latter to send a pass down the right wing and into the path of Odriozola. It manages to find the full-back, but his first few touches are slightly rushed ones and he's dispossessed by Piatti.
8'
A clever cross-field pass is sent over to the left flank and finds Asensio in acres of space. He controls the ball well and crosses, but he can't guide his pass through the legs of Lopez.
6'
Nacho gets yellow.
Nacho bursts down the left wing and is fouled but doesn't receive a free-kick. He clearly isn't happy with the referee's decision and is shown a yellow card for dissent.
5'
Decent chance for Isco! Another good move from the home side results in an early opportunity for the midfielder, who shoots from the edge of the penalty area but sends a first-time effort over the crossbar.
3'
After an even start to the game, it's Madrid who push forward on the first real attack of the evening. Asensio and Nacho link up well before the latter crosses, but the linesman's flag is raised as soon as he releases the ball.
1'
We're off! It's Madrid who get us underway.
Madrid dropped points for the first time last weekend when they were frustrated on the road by Athletic Bilbao, but they’ll be feeling confident about coming away victorious today. A perfect record for rivals Barcelona means that, even at this early stage of the season, Los Blancos can’t afford to drop any more points as they fight for top spot.
Julen Lopetegui’s men may have struggled to break down a determined Athletic side seven days ago but they didn’t have any such problems during the week, when they comfortably beat Roma 3-0 in their opening Champions League game. They’ll need to repeat that performance today against an Espanyol side that have enjoyed a good start to the season of their own.
A record of two wins from four games and just one defeat means Espanyol currently sit fifth in the table heading into tonight’s tough clash, and they, unlike their opponents, tasted victory in their last LaLiga outing. They also came out on top against Valencia, indicating just how difficult a team they can be to play against when they’re at their best.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up tonight…
Espanyol substitutes: Roberto Jimenez, Victor Sanchez, Oscar Duarte, Roberto Rosales, Sergio Garcia, Leo Baptistao, Oscar Melendo.
Espanyol XI (4-5-1): Diego Lopez; Javi Lopez, Naldo, Mario Hermoso, Didac Vila; Hernan Perez, Esteban Granero, Marc Roca, Sergi Darder, Pablo Piatti; Borja Iglesias.
Real Madrid substitutes: Keylor Navas, Mariano Diaz, Gareth Bale, Marcelo, Federico Valverde, Lucas Vazquez, Marcos Llorente.
Real Madrid XI (4-3-1-2): Thibaut Courtois; Alvaro Odriozola, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Nacho; Luka Modric, Casemiro, Dani Ceballos; Isco; Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio.
Lopetegui has decided to make five changes to the Madrid side that started the win against Roma during the week, with Courtois, Odriozola, Nacho, Ceballos and Asensio coming into the starting 11 to replace Navas, Dani Carvajal, Marcelo, Toni Kroos and Bale, respectively. This will be Odriozola’s first league appearance for Madrid since joining from Real Sociedad in the summer.
Meanwhile, Espanyol boss Rubi has made three alterations to the team that featured last weekend, with David Lopez, Baptistao and Garcia making way for Naldo, Perez and Piatti.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of today’s LaLiga game between Real Madrid and Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu.
It took them longer than they would have liked but Madrid were finally able to find the back of the net through Asensio, and they certainly deserve to be in front. They haven't been at their best but have caused enough problems for Espanyol, who have looked dangerous on the counter-attack on a few occasions but need to do more if they're to get back into this game.
Despite being a goal down, Espanyol won't be too unhappy with how things have gone so far. While they haven't tested Courtois enough, they have frustrated Madrid when counter-attacking, and that's clearly what they need to try and keep doing if they're to find an equaliser after the break.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
Madrid weren't at their best tonight but they did enough to get the job done. It was Asensio who finally found the back of the net after 41 minutes, and bar a few nervy moments in the second half, Los Blancos largely dealt with everything Espanyol had to throw at them, allowing them to comfortably leave with three points under their belts.
Espanyol will no doubt feel frustrated that they weren't able to do more damage on the counter-attack. Quick breakaways caused a few problems for the home side when executed well, but they didn't manage to do that on enough occasions. Chances were there for them but they just didn't make them count.
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