Real took the lead due to a brilliant Aurelien Tchouameni pass from Vinicius Jr.
After Thibaut Courtois blocked his first shot, Joselu equalized with a rebound, and the seasoned striker had several opportunities to give Espanyol the lead.
Real took the lead when Benzema volleyed in Rodrygo’s cross, and he added a third after converting a free kick against interim goalkeeper Leandro Cabrera.
After a thorough video assistant referee assessment, Espanyol’s starting goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte was given a straight red card in the sixth minute of stoppage time for a professional foul on Dani Ceballos.
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Despite having a goalkeeper on the bench, the home team had to start captain Cabrera in the net due to their three substitution windows.
He remained fixed to the spot as Benzema curled the subsequent free-kick into the bottom corner after having a goal disallowed for offside. His 327th goal for Real was also his first straight free-kick goal.
Real, the defending La Liga champion has won its first three games.
Espanyol, winless this year, will regret its squandered opportunities when the score was tied.
