Real Madrid moved to 77 points in the La Liga table after a composed 2-0 victory at Espanyol on Saturday, ensuring Barcelona cannot clinch the title without defeating their fiercest rivals on their own ground. The win leaves 11 points between the two clubs with just 12 remaining, meaning Hansi Flick’s side will have the opportunity to seal the championship in next weekend’s El Clasico.
With Kylian Mbappé absent from the squad, Real Madrid lacked a natural cutting edge going forward and were held scoreless through a frustrating opening 45 minutes by a well-organised Espanyol defence. The visitors were further disrupted when left-back Ferland Mendy went off injured in the first half, forcing manager Álvaro Arbeloa into an unplanned substitution, with Fran García coming on as a replacement.
The most contentious moment of the first half came when Espanyol’s Omar El Hilali was initially dismissed with a straight red card following a heavy challenge on Vinicius Jr. After a VAR review, however, the referee reversed the decision and reduced the punishment to a yellow card, allowing the hosts to remain at full strength.
Arbeloa responded to the goalless first half with a double substitution at the start of the second period, introducing Franco Mastantuono for Thiago Pitarch and Gonzalo García for Brahim Díaz. The changes had an immediate effect. Gonzalo García, fresh off the bench, provided the assist that broke the deadlock — Vinicius Jr received the ball inside the penalty area, cut past his marker, and drove a powerful effort past Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović to make it 1-0.
Real Madrid’s second goal was a moment of individual brilliance combined with precise combination play. Jude Bellingham produced an inventive backheel pass to send Vinicius Jr into the box, and the Brazilian forward struck the ball first-time into the top corner to complete his brace and effectively end the contest. It was a performance that underlined Vinicius Jr’s importance to this Real Madrid side, particularly in the continued absence of Mbappé.
Espanyol applied some late pressure, with Kike García posing a threat from a corner kick, but the Real Madrid backline held firm. Goalkeeper Andriy Lunin was largely untroubled throughout the second half and kept his clean sheet intact as the visitors closed out the three points.
For Espanyol, the defeat leaves them 13th in the La Liga standings on 39 points, comfortably above the relegation zone. Their focus will now shift to ending the season positively over the remaining rounds.
The result sets up a high-stakes El Clasico at Camp Nou next weekend, where Barcelona will have the chance to clinch the La Liga title in front of their rivals. It is a scenario Real Madrid will have been determined to manufacture — ensuring that if the title is to be decided against them, it will at least require Barcelona to earn it on the pitch rather than benefit from a guard of honour. The last time Barcelona clinched the league against Real Madrid at the Clasico was a fixture that carried enormous symbolic weight, and next weekend’s encounter carries similar significance. Arbeloa’s side have given themselves — and their supporters — one final opportunity to disrupt their rivals’ celebrations.
