- Espanyol on Tuesday night defeated Real Madrid 1-0 in La Liga match
- Real Madrid were without their superstar Cristiano Ronaldo
Reigning Spanish and European League champions Real Madrid on Tuesday night, February 27, failed to close the gap on second placed Atletico Madrid as they were beaten 1-0 by Espanyol in a tough La Liga match
The hosts will have Gerard Moreno to thank who scored the goal that condemned Real Madrid to a defeat at the death.
Real Madrid missed the service of Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo as Welshman Gareth Bale started the match up front.
Marco Asensio had a superb chance to score for Real Madrid in the 17th minute, but his effort was blocked by Espanyol goalie Diego Lopez.
Espanyol also had a chance in the 25th minute when Carlos Sanchez located Sergio Garcia with a fine pass, but the striker was unable to beat Keylor Navas who was in goal for Real Madrid.
The first half ended goalless as both teams failed to find the back of the net.
READ ALSO: I have no regret if I retire today - Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane changed Isco and brought in Frenchman Karim Benzema in the second half, but his wing was clipped by Espanyol defenders.
Los Blancos' fans were waiting for the referee to blow the final whistle before Gerard Moreno broke their hearts when he scored at the death for Espanyol.
The match however ended 1-0 in favor of Espanyol.
Smartphones giveaway. Hurry up! 1 week until winner announced. On NAIJ.com TV
Source: Sports.naija.ng
ROSY CREST
Wednesday, 28 February 2018