Espanyol 0-2 Real Madrid: Vinicius 55, 66
Barcelona are in celebratory mood as they anticipate their 29th league title but Real Madrid will throw a spanner in the works when they can. Vinicius Junior scored twice on Sunday against Espanyol to postpone the Catalan club’s coronation. The La Liga title race continues at least in notion.
Hansi Flick’s team did their part by beating Osasuna on Saturday and would have been confirmed champions had Madrid dropped points. Instead, the gap at the top narrows slightly to 11 points with four games remaining, meaning the title could now be decided in next weekend’s clásico.
Madrid arrived in Catalonia under little illusion about their position this season. Their chances of pipping Barcelona to the title are next to zero. Poor form for most of the campaign means they are now staring a second season without silverware in the eye and victory here at the RCDE Stadium certainly felt more like a delay than anything else.
Alvaro Arbeloa’s side dominated possession for long spells in a flat first half but struggled to fashion clear chances. Vinicius came closest when his deflected effort struck the post.
There was late drama before the break when El Hilali was initially sent off for a challenge on the Brazilian, only for the decision to be downgraded to a booking after a VAR review. Espanyol nearly capitalised moments later, but goalkeeper Andriy Lunin produced a save to deny Leandro Cabrera from close range.
Flick said on Saturday that he would rather attend a magic show in Barcelona than watch Madrid against Espanyol to see whether they would lose or not. If he did, it was a good choice because ten minutes into the second half Vinicius tested Barcelona’s patience by breaking the deadlock.
A quick exchange with Gonzalo Garcia opened space inside the box, and the Brazilian drove a low finish beyond Marko Dmitrovic at the near post. His second, 11 minutes later, was even better. Jude Bellingham flicked a clever backheel into Vinicius’s path, and the winger responded with precision into the top corner to secure the points.
Espanyol, whose form has collapsed in recent months, rarely looked capable of a response. Relegation is unlikely but the defeat effectively wakes them from any dreams of European qualification after a winless run stretching through 2026.
As for Barcelona, they may have been denied here but Flick and his team now only need only to avoid defeat in the clásico at Camp Nou to seal back-to-back league titles.
