Karim Benzema scores late brace to hand Real Madrid thrilling win as Espanyol forced to play defender in goal

The game looked to be heading towards a draw after Vinícius Jr. is opener was terminated out by Joselu in the first-half, yet Benzema was available to settle the match a thrilling finale.
The Frenchman volleyed within Rodrygo’s cross at the back post to give his side the particular lead in the 88th minute before deciding the match with a free-kick in the 10th minute of added time.
However , their final goal was scored against a good outfield player after Espanyol’s goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte was delivered off after an expert foul on Dani Ceballos.
The host had a replacement goalkeeper over the bench but had already used its allotted substitutions therefore defender Leandro Cabrera was eventually given the gloves.
From the resulting free-kick, Benzema stepped up plus placed his energy out of the reach of the makeshift goalkeeper.
Their latest brace emerged three days after he was named the UEFA Mens Player of the Yr after spearheading his side’s Champions League achievement final season.
Espanyol defender Leandro Cabrera puts on the goalkeeper jersey for the final minutes of the match.

The victory means Real Madrid has now won all three from the matches so far this season and sits the top of table on objective difference, ahead of amazing Real Betis.
“We could see that they were starting to get a bit tired and we got advantage of that, ” Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos told reporters after the game.
“Winning away from home is never easy, but we’ve completed it three times around the bounce. We’re happy.
“It’s important to know how to drill down in. Our opponents are always good quality plus we’re going to have to encounter that every four days from now on. At times, during the season, we have to dig in and we learn how to do that. ”
Real This town faces Real Betis in its next little league fixture with both edges yet to drop points this season.