Real had won six and drawn the other of their opening seven matches before the Primera Liga season shut up shop for the recent international games, leaving the reigning champions two points clear at the summit.

That unbeaten record was brought to an end on Saturday though by in-form Espanyol, who added Real's scalp to those of their title rivals Valencia and Sevilla, who they have also defeated this season.

Schuster, whose side were on the back foot after just two minutes following Albert Riera's goal, said: "I think that the game was very difficult from the start. The early goal was something we wanted to avoid. That did not enter into our plans.

"I don't think that the international matches have affected us. There is no need to look for excuses.

"We have lost against an Espanyol team who have had a great game. We cannot look back to the international matches.

"Being a part of Real Madrid entails going through games like these, and we just have to deal with it."

Real are back in action on Wednesday in the Champions League when they host Olympiacos, and defender Marcelo has already put the Espanyol defeat behind him and begun focusing on that match.

"We have lost but it is not the end of the world. We are working towards beating Olympiacos on Wednesday," the Brazilian said.

"We need to close this page and look ahead."