BARCELONA, Spain, Sept 22 (AP): Joan García showed why he is an up-and-coming goalkeeper - until Vinícius Júnior got the Real Madrid scoring machine going.
Vinícius went off the bench to assist Rodrygo and score one of his own and Kylian Mbappé added a late penalty as Madrid topped a tenacious Espanyol 4-1 in the Spanish league on Saturday.
García made several saves for the visitors before the Olympic gold medalist started an attack with a long pass from his box that ended with an own goal by counterpart Thibaut Courtois in the 54th minute.
But García's only slip of the match let Dani Carvajal equalize four minutes later when Jude Bellingham's low pass squirmed under the goalie.
The Madrid right back had to only push it over the line for 1-1.
Vinícius rested in the first half as Carlo Ancelotti rotated his attacking bunch. But the coach sent the Brazil forward on immediately after Espanyol went ahead. Vinícius then took control, curling in a perfect cross with the outer tip of his left boot for Rodrygo to score in the 75th.
Vinícius beat García in the 78th for his goal after Espanyol lost the ball and Mbappé played his attack partner clear on the break.
Mbappé converted a 90th-minute spot kick after Endrick went on late and earned a penalty from Carlos Romero. "We made mistakes that maybe you can get away with in other games, but not here," Espanyol coach Manolo González said. Madrid pulled to one point behind leader Barcelona.
Bellingham had a scare when he fell awkwardly on his right shoulder in the first half, but after briefly being seen by a doctor on the sideline he went back on.
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