Bellingham opens, a sub closes: Real Madrid grind out a 2-1 win

Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid was not a performance for the highlight reel — Real mustered just 0.26 expected goals to Espanyol’s 0.48 — but it was a win, bookended by two moments of individual quality: Jude Bellingham’s early opener and a stoppage-time winner off the bench.

Real took just nine minutes to lead, Bellingham finishing an Arda Güler pass with the composure that makes him Madrid’s most reliable big-moment player. It was the ideal away start — and, given how little Real created afterwards, arguably half the job done in one swing.

Álex Calatrava levelled for a game Espanyol edged on chances, and a draw looked fair on the balance of play. Then Carlos Espí, introduced late, struck in the 90th minute to settle it — the kind of decisive cameo that wins matches a team does not dominate. On 65% possession but only 0.26 xG, Real needed exactly that: a finisher, not a flood of chances.

Espanyol will feel aggrieved — 0.48 xG and the better run of play deserved at least a point, and the late concession will sting. Real Madrid, meanwhile, banked three points on an off-day through the individual quality that separates them: when the performance does not arrive, a Bellingham or a match-winning substitute usually does.