United News of Bangladesh

Barcelona strengthened their grip at the top of La Liga, moving nine points ahead of rivals Real Madrid with a convincing victory over Espanyol in the Catalan derby. Ferran Torres opened the scoring early, heading in a corner from Lamine Yamal at the back post in the ninth minute. He doubled the lead in the 25th minute, finishing neatly after collecting a clever outside-of-the-boot pass from Yamal. Yamal, aged just 18 years and 272 days, became Barcelona’s youngest player to reach 100 appearances and once again proved his value by providing both assists. Espanyol struggled to keep possession but managed to pull one back in the 56th minute when Pol Lozano scored from close range after a block by Barcelona defender Eric Garcia. Fernando Calero later missed a chance with a header, leaving the visitors unable to level the match. Barcelona regained control late on and sealed the win with two quick goals. Yamal added a third into an empty net before substitute Marcus Rashford struck an 89th-minute volley into the bottom corner. With seven matches remaining and Real Madrid struggling, coach Hansi Flick’s side are on track to retain the league title. Barcelona will now shift focus to the second leg of their Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, where they must overturn a two-goal deficit to progress. Espanyol, meanwhile, extended their winless run to 14 league matches but still sit 10th in the standings. Source: BBC

Real Madrid continued their perfect start to the season on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu. The win, their fifth in five matches in La Liga and six wins out of six matches across all competitions, solidifies their position at the top of La Liga and provides a promising start to the tenure of manager Xabi Alonso. The visitors began the match on the front foot, with Edu Exposito forcing an early save from Thibaut Courtois. However, both teams struggled to create clear-cut chances until an unlikely source broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute. Picking up the ball some 30 yards from goal, Real defender Eder Militao unleashed a ferocious strike that soared past Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic, leaving him with no chance. The goal was Madrid's only shot on target in a quiet first half. The host found their rhythm moments after the restart, and it was a familiar face who sealed the victory. Following a cutback from Vinicius Junior inside the box, Kylian Mbappe continued his fabulous form by drilling a powerful shot home from around 22 yards. The goal marked the French striker’s third consecutive game on the scoresheet, taking his tally to seven goals for the season. Lyon edge Angers, move level with PSG at top of Ligue 1 Madrid had multiple chances to extend their lead, with Mbappe and Vinicius both denied in quick succession by Dmitrovic, and Vinicius also striking the post. However, they had to content with the two goal lead. The comfortable win was further celebrated by the home crowd as Eduardo Camavinga and Jude Bellingham made their respective returns to action following lengthy spells on the sidelines. The result takes Real Madrid five points clear at the top of the standings with 15 points. Meanwhile, Espanyol, who suffered their first defeat of the campaign, sit in fourth place with 10 points. Barcelona, one game in hand, sit next to Real Madrid with 10 points, and goal difference, while Villareal sit at the third place with the same 10 points.