Karim Benzema scored twice in the closing minutes to give Real Madrid a 3-1 win at Espanyol on Sunday as the champions left it late to maintain their 100% record.
Vinícius Júnior opened the scoring early in the first half with a first-touch finish from a brilliant pass by Aurelién Tchouaméni, but Joselu levelled for Espanyol from a rebound just before half-time.
The hosts looked the more likely to find a breakthrough in the second half, but with two minutes left Rodrygo found Benzema at the far post with a perfect cross and the French striker put Madrid back in front.
In added time, Espanyol’s keeper Benjamin Lecomte brought down Dani Ceballos on the edge of the area and was shown a straight red card after a VAR review. With defender Leandro Cabrera taking the gloves, Benzema took charge of the free-kick, bending it into the bottom corner to wrap up the points.
Earlier, Robert Lewandowski scored his second consecutive double as Barcelona breezed past Real Valladolid with a…
This article was written by Reuters and originally published on www.theguardian.com