![\"\"](\"https:\/\/platform.managingmadrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/103\/2026\/08\/1.1-ESP-VS-RMA-7TH-MIN.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAs the ball moved across the back line, Espanyol tended to jump and press:<\/p>\n
The White team would capitalise on Jude Bellingham\u2019s width-drawing movements from the left half-space toward the flanks. In this scene, Carreras exploits Calatrava stepping out to block off the in-out angle in order to carry the ball through. Bellingham\u2019s deeper movements drag Gonzalez across and give room for Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 to dash into the center. Additionally, Vinicius Junior pinning the opposite right-back generates space inside for Bellingham to scamper forward:<\/p>\n The central passing lanes were closed off. Espanyol tried to funnel the play toward the flanks and jump aggressively onto the ball down the traps they set up wide. However, a couple of Real Madrid\u2019s off-ball movements enabled Mourinho\u2019s team to break down Espanyol\u2019s high press.<\/p>\n Calatrava made sure he ran from the inside toward Carreras only if the ball ended up on Real Madrid\u2019s left side. At that moment, Valverde shifted across with Gonzalez following him, and Bellingham dashed deeper and pulled wide. Espanyol\u2019s pivot, Gonzalez, didn\u2019t apply heavy pressure on Valverde, while Carreras kept hold of the ball. He tended to jump on only when the pass was played to Valverde. The telos was to keep the center covered and deny the out-in entries:<\/p>\n As a consequence, Valverde was momentarily free to play the pass from a first-time touch into Bellingham. As Vinicius Junior was pinning El Hilali to give Bellingham room to drive inside, this time he narrowed inside, drawing his marker with him and vacating the wide channels for the Englishman to gallop the length of the pitch.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth mentioning that Jude Bellingham was more inclined to overcarrying, and on occasion he kept his head down, which prevented him from taking a picture of what was happening inside or delayed Real Madrid\u2019s attack:<\/p>\n Bellingham was smartly sneaking behind the blindside of Espanyol\u2019s pivot Urko Gonzalez when the latter proceeded with a jump onto Valverde. Bellingham\u2019s lateral movements between the lines opened up a passing lane between him and the backline. Dean Huijsen was able to slide line-breaking passes through Espanyol\u2019s medium block. Below, Bellingham feeds G\u00fcler in the right half-space after he receives Huijsen\u2019s pass. Guler finds Bernardo Silva ahead, while Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s forward run drags the backline rearward, enabling the Portuguese midfielder time on the ball to assess his options. Silva spots Dumfries\u2019 run beyond the winger Dolan to set him up near the byline.<\/p>\n Real Madrid had different alternatives to bypass Espanyol\u2019s high press. With Calatrava\u2019s emphasis on limiting the inside access, Carreras was able to find the pass to Vinicius Junior, who drops near the flanks. From there, the Brazilian could pick out passes inside because of how the hosts were set high up the pitch.<\/p>\n Below, Riedel didn\u2019t stick to Bellingham, as he was caught between stepping up and monitoring the space he left behind. The same for Gonzalez, who stood between Bernardo Silva and Bellingham. Additionally, Carreras would pass and move inside behind Calatrava\u2019s blindside. So, Vinicius had multiple options to glide the ball back inside.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that Espanyol\u2019s far-side winger narrowed inside toward Real Madrid\u2019s far-side pivot, as Manolo Gonzalez\u2019s team maintained numerical superiority at the backline. With the ability to escape the wide traps, Real Madrid could exploit the numerical inferiority on the opposite side via Bellingham stepping back and finding Dumfries racing out forward:<\/p>\n Arriving at the box with a minimum of players, Dumfries held onto the ball, waiting for Guler and Valverde to join. The Dutch right-back providing the beyond run allowed Guler to slide the through ball, releasing him around the six-yard box:<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n