In the Spanish "La Liga" championship on Saturday, three matches of the 16th round took place.
Madrid's "Real" welcomed Barcelona's "Espanyol" players in front of their own fans. Despite missing injured players, the "Whites" did not shine in attack but still secured an important victory.
In the 37th minute, Raphael Varane unlocked the "Espanyol" defense after a pass from Karim Benzema, and in the 79th minute, Benzema himself solidified the victory.
In the 83rd minute, "Real" had to finish the match with ten men, as Ferland Mendy received his second yellow card. This poses a problem for the Madrid team, as in the next round they will have to play against "Valencia" without their true left-back - Marcelo is currently recovering from an injury.
With the victory, "Real" once again climbed to the top of the league table. K. Benzema, who scored with an assist and a goal, remains the league's top scorer.
In other matches, "Valencia" defeated the city rival "Levante" 4-2 after a fluctuating battle, while "Granada" punished "Alaves" players.
Results:
"Real Madrid" 2 - 0 "Espanyol"
37' [1 - 0] R. Varane
79' [2 - 0] K. Benzema
83' F. Mendy ("Real") sent off
"Granada" 3 - 0 "Alaves"
48' [1 - 0] C. Fernandez
58' [2 - 0] R. Soldado (penalty)
77' [3 - 0] Y. Herrera
67' M. Wakaso ("Alaves") sent off
90+1' V. Laguardia ("Alaves") sent off
"Levante" 2 - 4 "Valencia"
11' [1 - 0] M. Roger
20' [2 - 0] M. Roger (penalty)
45+3' [2 - 1] M. Roger (own goal)
57' [2 - 2] K. Gameiro
59' [2 - 3] K. Gameiro
88' [2 - 4] F. Torres
74' E. Falcon ("Levante") sent off
