Real Madrid earned a fairly comfortable 0-2 win against Espanyol with goals from James Rodríguez and Karim Benzema. Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale weren't available while Casemiro had to leave the game early after suffering a hard knock on his left calf that will most likely keep him out of Wednesday's match against Villarreal.
Asensio and Lucas Vázquez started upfront alongside Benzema, and even though they did not create many scoring chances, Madrid prevailed. James scored the opening goal right before the half-time whistle and proved that he might be ready to contribute this season. The Colombian playmaker already delivered the game-winning assist last Wednesday and if he keeps playing like this it will be tough for Zidane to keep him away from the starting lineup.
Isco played some good minutes off the bench as well and allowed Madrid to control the game and have the possession of the ball often.