Mbappé and Militão strike from distance as Real Madrid deals Espanyol first loss

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Kylian Mbappé and Éder Militão scored from well outside the area to help Real Madrid ease past Espanyol 2-0 in La Liga on Saturday and deal the Barcelona-based side its first loss.

Espanyol gave Militão space and the Brazil defender fired a right-foot screamer into the top corner in the 22nd minute. A diving Marko Dmitrovic got only fingertips on the ball.

It was Mbappé’s turn in the 47th when he had time to pick a spot in the bottom corner and smashed a strike that Dmitrovic could only watch nestle into the net.

Mbappé has seven goals in six games for Madrid this season, including a double in its 2-1 win over Marseille to start the Champions League on Tuesday.

“When you are facing a defense set well inside its area, you have to try from long range,” coach Xabi Alonso said. “Militão’s goal was very good, and Kylian scored in transition. We are taking steps forward and continue to grow.”

Madrid's fifth win in as many rounds moved it five points clear of Espanyol and Barcelona, which hosts fifth-placed Getafe at its 6,000-seat Estadi Johan Cruyff on Sunday.

England midfielder Jude Bellingham went on as a late substitute for his first appearance since he underwent an operation on his left shoulder on July 16.

Eduardo Camavinga also went on with Bellingham after several weeks out with an ankle injury.

Espanyol arrived to the Santiago Bernabeu just two points back in third place and undefeated after its best start over four rounds in 30 years.

The modest Barcelona-based club was without top scorer Pere Milla, who was serving a one-game red-card suspension, and struggled to produce scoring chances.

Dmitrovic made back-to-back saves to stop Mbappé from making it three in the 65th before Vinícius Júnior hit the post for Madrid.

Alonso restored Vinícius to his starting 11 after using him as a substitute in the Champions League opener this week.

Madrid was without right back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is expected to be sidelined for several weeks because of a hamstring injury sustained against Marseille. Defender Dean Huijsen was suspended.

After Saturday's win, Madrid defender Dani Carvajal apologized for being sent off for head-butting Marseille goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli this week, calling his behavior “unacceptable.”

Carvajal and Rulli were exchanging words before a corner kick for Madrid when the defender moved closer to the goalie and struck his face with his head.

“It won’t happen again,” Carvajal said.

Girona, which just two seasons ago finished the league in third place, remained stuck to the bottom of the standings after being humbled 4-0 at home by the promoted Levante.

Girona has lost all five of its games.

“We are the worst team in the league," coach Míchel Sánchez said, “and the only way out of this is to keep working and improve.”

Georges Mikautadze scored his first goal for Villarreal help them fight back for a 2-1 win over 10-man Osasuna. Georgia striker Mikautadze transferred from Lyon on the last day of the transfer market.

Veteran Chile forward Alexis Sánchez also scored his first goal since joining Sevilla this season to help beat Alaves 2-1.

Valencia beat 10-man Athletic Bilbao 2-0 at home to bounce back from a 6-0 defeat to Barcelona last round.

Baptiste Santamaría and Hugo Duro scored in the second half for Valencia, after Athletic lost Daniel Vivián to a direct red card when he fouled Santamaría with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Athletic has lost three straight while not scoring a single goal, a run including a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League, without injured Spain forward Nico Williams.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Real Madrid's Eder Militao, left, celebrates with Kylian Mbappe after scoring the opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe, left, and Espanyol's Fernando Calero challenge for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Espanyol's goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic misses the opening goal by Real Madrid's Eder Militao, bottom sixth from the left, during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Kyle Busch grew to expect — even appreciate — the boos.

The driver nicknamed Wild Thing, Outlaw, Rowdy and KFB over his 26-year NASCAR career was more comfortable than anyone might imagine with a checkered flag in one hand and fans jeering all around. He leaned into the villain role as the wins mounted — and boy did they — and even started encouraging his haters, trying to get the howling to a fever pitch before delivering his signature bow.

It was Busch at his best.

And it’s the way he should be remembered.

The two-time Cup Series champion, who won more races than anyone across NASCAR’s three national series, died Thursday at age 41. Tributes poured in, with many echoing the sentiment that racing had lost one of its fiercest competitors.

Busch was that — and so much more.

He was arguably the greatest driver of his generation, displaying unrivaled success. He notched a combined 234 wins — 63 in the top-tier Cup Series and another 171 in NASCAR’s two feeder series, O’Reilly (102) and Trucks (69).

He was a devoted husband, a side that became public when he and wife Samantha chronicled their struggle to become parents and later founded the Bundle of Joy Fund, which is dedicated to advancing access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) care and providing support so others don’t have to navigate infertility alone. The fund has raised more than $2 million and has celebrated the birth of 111 babies.

He was a loving father, who tirelessly tried to teach his 11-year-old son, Brexton, everything he could about racing and even sold his successful Truck Series team to help raise money to support his son's budding career.

He was even one of NASCAR’s most popular — some would say polarizing — drivers thanks to his longtime M&M's sponsorship. Kids flocked to Busch and his colorful No. 18 Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Older fans might not have been as supportive, and it was evident every time Busch took the checkered flag and responded to booing with a mocking bow.

“This is a devastating loss and one that is hard for the NASCAR community to process. Kyle was a fierce competitor who demanded the very best from himself each time he put on the helmet,” four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon said. “As teammates, I saw firsthand the passion and intensity he brought to the sport every single day.

“He was a champion and a prolific racer who made a tremendous impact on NASCAR and was a lifelong advocate for all forms of motor sports. But beyond the track, he loved his family deeply and was incredibly proud of Samantha, Brexton and Lennix.”

Busch had become sort of a sympathetic figure in recent years, a series champion in the worst slump of his career and a surefire Hall of Famer who never got to celebrate a Daytona 500 victory. Both skids bothered him, no doubt, the first more than the second.

Busch’s last Cup Series victory came at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois in 2023. Busch won three of the first 15 races that season, his first with Richard Childress Racing. RCR had built the Next Gen prototype, so the team had an early advantage with the new car.

But once everyone else caught up, Busch and RCR lagged behind. He was winless in his final 105 starts and changed crew chiefs twice this season while searching for a winning combination. The most trying part: Feeling like he was letting Brexton down week after week.

“It’s no secret, right? And seeing my son and his passion that he has; he really is probably my biggest cheerleader,” Busch said at Daytona International Speedway in February. “And he wants to see me run well. He wants to see me win races. He wants to celebrate in victory lane like he sees other drivers’ kids being able to do.

“So there’s nothing more that drives me every single weekend than seeing him see me and be proud of me.”

Busch died after being hospitalized with a severe illness. It came three days before he was to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord, North Carolina, on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details have not been disclosed by Busch’s team or family.

Busch’s death came 11 days after he radioed his crew near the end of a Cup Series race at Watkins Glen and asked a doctor to give him a “shot” when he finished the race. Busch had been struggling with a sinus cold exacerbated by the intense G-forces and elevation changes at the New York road course, broadcasters said.

Busch finished that race eighth. He competed at Dover last weekend and — maybe fittingly — won his last Trucks Series start for Spire. He then finished 17th in the NASCAR All-Star race, his final event.

Busch stormed into the Cup Series in 2005 and won Rookie of the Year honors. He was at Hendrick Motorsports at the time, a job he was fired from to make room for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

His career, though, was as much defined by post-race fights, feuds with other drivers and outlandish behavior as all the trips to victory lane.

Nonetheless, Busch won championships in 2015 and 2019 for Joe Gibbs Racing. His first title came after he missed part of the season while recovering from two broken legs. He was let go from JGR in 2022 after losing his M&M’s sponsor and with the team looking to make room for Ty Gibbs, the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs.

Busch landed at RCR, where he ranked a disappointing 24th in Cup Series points after 12 races. But an indelible image was his final victory. And he celebrated that Truck Series win with two bows amid a scattering of boos.

“You take whatever you can get, man,” Busch said. “You never know when the last one is going to be, so cherish them all — trust me.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

FILE - Kyle Busch is introduced during the NASCAR All-Star auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 17, 2026, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton, File, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch drinks champagne after winning the Nationwide series championship and the NASCAR Ford 300 Nationwide series auto race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Terry Renna, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch celebrates his win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Autism Speaks 400 auto race, Sunday, May 16, 2010, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, May 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch waits in his car before practice for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup series Coca-Cola 600 auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Saturday, May 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn, File, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch waits for the start of a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)