BARCELONA, Spain — Gareth Bale scored with an unstoppable free kick to help 10-man Real Madrid end a two-game losing run with a 3-0 win Saturday over Espanyol and stay top of the Spanish league.
James Rodriguez scored first after a long pass from Bale was headed back to the Colombian by Cristiano Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabeu in the 12th minute.
Bale made it 2-0 in the 28th when Espanyol goalkeeper Kiko Casilla could only watch as he rifled a left-foot free kick off the post and into the net.
Madrid played with 10 men from the 53rd after Fabio Coentrao got a direct red card for a low tackle, but substitute Nacho Fernandez made it 3-0 in the 76th.
Madrid’s victory came after its Spanish record 22-win streak ended with losses at Valencia and Atletico Madrid.
