Vinicius goal and assist guide Real Madrid to fightback win against Espanyol

MADRID : Vinicius Jr came off the bench to score once and set up another goal to steer champions Real Madrid to a 4-1 fightback victory over Espanyol in LaLiga on Saturday.

Real Madrid dominated proceedings but fell behind in the 54th minute due to a rare blunder by their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who accidentally deflected a low cross from Jofre into his own net.

However, Real found the equaliser four minutes later with a close-range strike by Dani Carvajal.

Vinicius Jr then worked his magic within three busy minutes, first lifting a brilliant cross with the outside of his foot to Rodrygo, who netted a first-touch effort from the middle of the box in the 75th minute, and then scoring himself with a tidy finish from a counter-attack in the 78th.

Kylian Mbappe finished off the win from the penalty spot after substitute Endrick was fouled inside the box in the 90th minute.

Real remained second on 14 points, one behind leaders Barcelona who have a game in hand and visit fourth-placed Villarreal on Sunday.