In round 21 of La Liga, Real Madrid (50 points) beat Espanyol 3-0 last Saturday, closing in on Barcelona, the current leader of the Spanish League standings with 55 points. The team led by Manuel Pellegrini added its eleventh victory in the Santiago Bernebeu Stadium and recovered the difference with Barça, which beat Getafe 2-1.

The Meringues beat a defensively weak Espanyol, knowing when to accelerate and when to pause in their game. Xabi Alonso, Barn and Guti made the team’s game plan easier with their great work in midfield.

A few short minutes after the opening of the game, in minute 5, the Meringues opened the score. A foul gave a free kick to Esteban Granero, who crossed a pass that was headed by Sergio Ramos, putting the scoreboard at 1-0.

Ahead by one, Real Madrid controlled the ball on both ends of the field; Espanyol was left behind the ball without ideas. Even when the team managed to recover the ball, the players didn’t know what to do with it. Espanyol’s ineptitude helped Pellegrini’s men enjoy a wonderful half hour, during which they played how they wanted, when they wanted, and where they wanted.

In fact, after another three great opportunities for Raul to score, Madrid had its second goal of the game. The Brazilian Kaka pounced on a rebound from Raul’s shot – which goalkeeper Carlos Kameni had cleared at minute 29 – and added another point for his team.

Minutes later, however, the Argentine Nicolas Young suffered a twist in his right knee, forcing him to retire from the game with seconds left in the first half. With the injury, the half ended at 2-0.

Espanyol entered the second half rejuvenated, motivated, enthusiastic, and ready to control the field. Nevertheless, the team was far too inconsistent and never quite managed to threaten Madrid’s area.

Higuain, recently recovered from his injury, exhibited his great talent as always and played for several minutes in the game. In the final minutes of the match, the player took a last opportunity at minute 90 and sealed his team’s victory with a third goal, his 12th of the season. The point puts Higuain three goals ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was serving the second of his two-match outlaw. With this last play, Real Madrid ended the game with a final scoring of 3-0.

At the end of the game, Kaka expressed his satisfaction at his team’s performance, happy to have helped his team by adding a point.

"We played well; things are going well for me and for Real Madrid. Barcelona are doing well at the moment and not dropping points but we just have to continue winning our games," stated Kaká.

The game marked Real Madrid’s seventh victory in nine games and established the team as the best at home games, giving it 11 victories.

Real Madrid’s next game will be against Xerez at the Municipal de Chapín Stadium on February 13th, whereas Espanyol will face Deportivo La Coruna at home on February 14th.

About the Author

Ally White has been a prominent writer on daily Spanish League Soccer; sports news and the sportsbetting industry for many exceptional sport web sites. You may reprint this article in its full content, please note no modifications to it are accepted.