La Liga
Espanyol
Sep 12, 2015 3.00pm
0
6
HT : 0 4
FT
Real Madrid
  • Alvaro Gonzalez 16' yellowcard
  • Jose Canas 66' yellowcard
  • goal Cristiano Ronaldo 7'
  • goal Cristiano Ronaldo 17'
  • goal Cristiano Ronaldo 20'
  • goal Karim Benzema 28'
  • yellowcard Karim Benzema 36'
  • goal Cristiano Ronaldo 61'
  • yellowcard Mateo Kovacic 69'
  • goal Cristiano Ronaldo 81'

Live Commentary: Espanyol 0-6 Real Madrid - as it happened

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Espanyol 0-6 Real Madrid - as it happened
© AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo scored five as Real Madrid demolished Espanyol 6-0 at the Power8 Stadium this afternoon.

The Portuguese hit a 13-minute hat-trick inside a rip-roaring first-half display, with Karim Benzema also on the scoresheet.

Ronaldo, criticised for his lack of goals as of late, then struck two more after the break to stun the hosts and make it back-to-back big wins for the Blancos, who beat Real Betis 5-0 last time out.

Below, relive the rout with our live commentary.

4.50pmAnywho, that's us. Cheers for joining our live text commentary and we'll see you next time!

4.49pmThe referee doesn't even bother with the added time! Wow. Well, that was particularly gruesome. Cristiano Ronaldo's FIVE goals help Real to a 6-0 win and that's that. What a performance.

88 minTwo minutes to go then and this has just been cruel by Real. They have well and truly demolished Espanyol today and they'll be begging for the final whistle.

84 minCHANCE! Oh my word it very nearly is a double hat-trick as Ronaldo runs on to an over-the-top ball before pulling his volley just wide. He's useless!

81 minHe couldn't get a double hat-trick, could he? Surely not. It's brilliant work from Lucas Vazquez, who skips around Canas like he's not there before pulling back for the Portuguese, who drills first time into the bottom corner.

80 minGOAL! Espanyol 0-6 Real Madrid (Ronaldo)

76 minREAL SUB: Th visitors make their second sub now as captain Ramos trods off for Raphaele Varane. Defender for a defender! Benitez senses an Espanyol goal was coming.

74 minCHANCE! How it's not 5-1 I'll never know. I think it was Salva Sevilla, whose shocking header is straight at Navas, who fumbles, but Moreno then puts the rebound wide. So poor.

71 minCLOSE! The free kick is pants but the ball comes to Montanes, who whips in a fantastic cross at the far post and Moreno's awkward volley is drilled into the side-netting. Not a goalscoring chance, but better from the hosts.

70 minBOOKING: Kovacic fouls Montanes and Espanyol will whip this into the box.....

68 minBOOKING: Jose Canas goes into the book for cynically bringing down Kovacic. He had precious little choice. It'd probably led to a sixth.

66 minESPANYOL SUB: Joan Jordan replaces Victor Sanchez now, which is a shame because he was the only one capable of creating anything.

63 minOkay so I perhaps spoke too soon. It's five and four from Ronaldo who, again, only needs to tap home from inside the box after Bale stuck it on a plate for him. Simple as you like.

62 minGOAL! Espanyol 0-5 Real Madrid (Ronaldo)

61 minThere's about a half-an-hour left then and oddly, Real don't look like scoring another yet. Espanyol have come back into it a little.

58 minEspanyol's defence is too narrow. I'm not a manager, believe it or not, but Real's width is causing all sorts of problems.

55 minREAL SUB: First sub now as Modric is replaced by Mateo Kovacic. He is not injured, but Real have Champions League duty in midweek.

52 minTo say one-way traffic just wouldn't do this one justice, my friends. Real pour forward in their droves and Casemiro fires over the bar just then.

50 minBale delivers another fine ball, but Pau Lopez collects before Ronaldo can tap home his fourth. Believe it or not, but the Portuguese looked frustrated! Three isn't enough for him.

48 minSHOT! Very much a case of as you were here, and even right-back Carvajal wants to get in on the act but his shot flies wide of the near post.

45 minKICKOFF: We're back underway. Can Espanyol possibly get back into this? It's unlikely, but let's see.

3.50pmWell, that was particularly gruesome. Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick inside 20 minutes, along with Benzema's tap-in shortly after, has given Real a FOUR-goal lead. Espanyol were like lambs to the slaughter. Their defensive line was too high and Sergio Gonzalez was asking for this demolition.

3.48pmHALF TIME: Espanyol 0-4 Real Madrid

43 minOFF THE POST! This is just, like, ridiculously easy. They look like scoring with every attack, and Benzema fires a low shot against the post. Hopefully for Espanyol's sake they calm down after the break.

40 minRight, five minutes from the break and Ronaldo has effectively wrapped this up already, but Espanyol have had some really good chances and they'll kicking themselves - and if not then Sergio will certainly kick them.

37 minCHANCE! Better from Espanyol as they try to find gaps, but Moreno has another fine chance as he pulls his near-post drive into the side-netting. The angle was against him, but it was a chance.

35 minAlvaro Gonzalez might be having the worst game in history here. He has conceded a penalty, lost Ronaldo for the third goal, and just now he over-hits a simple cross which, had it been accurate, probably would've led to a goal. Shocker.

32 minCHANCE! At 4-0 down, the game is more or less over but Gerard Moreno missed a chance to reduce the arrears by heading over the bar. Could, and definitely should, have scored.

30 minThis is like playing your arthritis-ravaged granny in Pro Evo. Bale plays in Ronaldo, who has a ridiculous amount of space on the left-hand side, before he passes across the face of goal for Benzema to tap in. What is happening?

29 minGOAL! Espanyol 0-4 Real Madrid (Karim Benzema)

28 minOFF THE BAR! Pepe, or possible Sergio Ramos, sees a looping header drop on to the crossbar but Lopez had it covered. This is ruthless from Real.

27 minSHOT! Slightly better from the hosts, as Salva Sevilla fires at goal and Navas fumbles, but the Costa Ricaan gathers it up shortly after.

25 minThis is really, really poor from Espanyol. They started so well but it's descended into farce since.

23 minLord knows how Casemiro has avoided a yellow card here. He has gone through Sevilla for a shortcut but the referee gives him the benefit of the doubt.

21 minThere can be so few better ways to bounce back from a two-game barren spell than netting a 20-minute hat-trick. Stunning from Ronaldo. Oddly, he hasn't had much to do in his last two, as Bale's exquisite cross has it on a plate for the Portuguese to tap home. Amazing.

20 minGOAL! Espanyol 0-3 Real Madrid (Ronaldo hat-trick)

19 minMake that two for Ronaldo and two for Real Madrid. Pau Lopez guesses right, but the Portuguese sticks it right in the corner and the Blancos in cruise control now.

18 minGOAL! Espanyol 0-2 Real Madrid (Ronaldo)

17 minPENALTY TO REAL MADRID! Alvaro Gonzalez brings down Bale following Benzema's clever ball and it's a peno!

13 minBrilliant little backheel from Ronaldo splits Espanyol's defence, but Bale wasn't expecting it and he's a little flat footed. Had they been on the same wavelength there then that's a big chance. Espanyol have responded well but it's such a big ask.

10 minBale now looks like being through on goal, but he's flagged offside. Why is Espanyol's line so high? I mean positionally - not, well, you know.

8 minNo goals in two games? Who cares says Ronaldo, who nets his first of the season! He latches on to Modric's excellent crossfield ball, with Espanyol's defensive line ridiculously high, and casually slots past Pau Lopez. Simple.

7 minGOAL! Espanyol 0-1 Real Madrid (Cristiano Ronaldo)

4 minScratch that - it was actually a save by Navas! He must've tipped it just wide. At the other end, Ronaldo fires harmlessly over the bar from a tight angle. Excellent start.

3 minCHANCE! What a start this would've been for Espanyol. Marcelo is too advanced and Felipe Caicedo latches on to a through ball before showing Ramos a clean pair of heels, but his angled effort under pressure from the Real captain is just wide of Navas's far post. Fine effort.

1 minKICKOFF: And we're off in Catalunya! Real, playing in their silver kit, will not be settling for second best again come May and there's a big three points on offer here.

3.00pmGareth Bale still has the man bun going on, looking like a homeless samurai. Will he cut down Espanyol with the precision as he did Real Betis two weeks ago? Time will tell.

2.58pmIt's a beautiful sunny day in Catalunya. What a day for football. Well, watching football - or reading it, in your case - because I don't fancy playing in these conditions.

2.55pmAnd here come the lads. Both sets of players filter on to the field and we're closing in on kickoff!

2.53pmWe've got seven minutes to go. Only seven. Time flies when we're having fun.

2.50pmMeanwhile, this brave young soul is not having suggestions that victory is a foregone conclusion. He's just not having it. He goes against the grain and predicts a home win! Honourable, but he reminds us of people who take the biggest offer on The Chase and then get caught within two questions.

2.48pmWe're not sure what this fellow is trying to say. Perhaps he's had too much sun.

2.46pmThis is a bit more like it from Hnoody Devil, who would take a straight-forward 3-0 win. Best of luck to him.

2.44pmGo big or go home is the message from this Madrista, who might be a tad over-zealous here.

2.42pmLet's go out and see how the masses - or maybe just people on Twitter - view this one.

2.40pmPREDICTION! Right, 20 minutes to go so let's lodge an aul' pre-match prediction. 3-1 Real. It should be relatively comfortable. Should. But ask Sporting Gijon and they'll tell you that winning a point against the Blancos is not as ominous as it sounds.

2.38pmCarlo Ancelotti's side went and hit SEVEN past Espanyol last season, recording a 4-1 win here toward the end of the season, having already beaten them 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Ronaldo hit three in the former and few would back against him emulating that feat. He hasn't scored in two games. What happens when a lion doesn't eat for two days? That's right - they rip up the Serengeti, demolishing everything in sight. Watch this space.

2.35pmDID YOU KNOW? Here's part two in the Did You Know series, which may be the last segment, depending on whether or not new stats fall into my lap. Anywho, did you know that Los Blancos have won 95 games & scored 353 goals against Espanyol? Historically, they fare better against this mob than any other side! Interesting, eh?

2.32pmWhat we do know is that kickoff is in, hmm, 28 minutes! Let's look at stats.

2.30pmThis is the 'take your ball and run home' drill employed by Benitez. We haven't seen it during a game yet because they haven't fallen behind, but once they do expect to see the game abandoned. Well, it's either that or a fusion between football and croquet. Who knows.

2.27pmDID YOU KNOW? Speaking of Ronaldo, did you know that he scored his first ever away goal for Madrid against Espanyol? Well, now you do.

2.24pmEspanyol, meanwhile, makes two changes, with Salva Sevilla - who has scored one of their two goals this season - coming into the midfield in place of Francisco Montañés, while defender Michael Ciani displaces Antonio Raillo. Felipe Caiecedo, who scored in the 3-1 defeat at Villarreal last time out, continues upfront alongside summer signing Gerard Moreno.

2.21pmRight, we'll start with Real, because it's polite, and Rafa makes four changes. Injured right-back Danilo drops out for Dani Carvajal, while Pepe displaces Raphael Varane in central defence. In midfield, Toni Kroos drops out for Casemiro, and the injured James Rodriguez makes way for Isco. And of course Ronaldo starts! He's joined in attack by Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.

2.18pmREAL MADRID SUBS: Casilla, Varane, Kroos, Kovacic, Arbeloa, Vazquez, Jese

2.17pmESPANYOL SUBS: Bardi, Montanes, Canas, Fuentes, Jordan, Raillo, Mamadou

2.16pmREAL MADRID XI: Navas; Pepe, Ramos, Carvajal, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Isco; Bale, Ronaldo, Benzema

2.15pmESPANYOL XI: Lopez; Arbilla, Alvaro, Ciani, Duarte; Victor, Lopez, Alvarez, Salva; Gerard, Caicedo

2.13pmBut is he playing? That's the question. Let's find out. Stay tuned. Spanish teams insist on releasing their team news late, and in the form of videos, so it's not ideal!

2.11pmSpeaking of goals being in short supply, Ronaldo, who scored three hat-tricks in his final four games last season, hasn't scored in any of his two outings yet this season! Is he depressed? Past it? Broken? If he draws another blank here then look out for those theories, such is our knee-jerk nature. But he probably will because he smashed a hat-trick against them last term. A 'perfect' hat-trick, might I add. Watch this space.

2.08pmAnd what about Espanyol? Well, Sergio's men edged out Getafe 1-0 here in their Liga curtain-raiser, before losing 3-1 at Villarreal to enter the international break on a bit of a downer it has to be said. Bear in mind that this is their first season in, say, five years without having star striker and part-time golfer Sergio Garcia spearhead their attack, so bags of goals may be in short supply for a while.

2.05pmSo, Rafael Benitez - who is now Real Madrid manager, incase you're just awaking from a cryogenic sleep - led his new team to a 0-0 draw away to newly-promoted Sporting Gijon in typical Rafa style on gameweek one. In contrast, and also in typical Rafa style, they only went and hammered Real Betis 5-0 before the international break. Cristiano Ronaldo was NOT among the goalscorers. You're still too shocked about Benitez being at Real to care, aren't you? Me too.

2.02pmHola y welcome to our live text commentary of Real Madrid's La Liga visit to Espanyol. I'd have loved to complete that whole sentence in Spanish, but, em, I don't speak Spanish. In fact, I make David Moyes sound like Guillem Balague. Or somebody else who is very Spanish. Who knows. We're digressing. So, Espanyol and Real Madrid. Shall we have a look at both sides' early-season fortunes before team news? Why not.
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