Real Madrid beat Espanyol 2-0 this Sunday at the RCDE Stadium with a double from Vinícius Junior in the second half that gave three vital points to the meringues and mathematically postponed Barcelona’s title. The Brazilian’s goals came in the second half after a goalless first half and without clear arrivals from either team, in a match where Álvaro Arbeloa’s team did not show its best collective version but found enough resources in its individual figure to take the victory.
Vinícius resolved the match with two great goals. In the first he made a one-two with Gonzalo García, took off two rivals and scored against the goalkeeper’s foot, while in the second he took advantage of a block from Bellingham to place the ball in the corner with a precise finish. Arbeloa’s changes were also key since the entry of Gonzalo García was immediately positive when he partnered with the Brazilian in the play of the first goal, while Fran García’s early movement due to Mendy’s injury was also positive for the merengue team.
Espanyol came into the game with the pressure of relegation on them and had no arguments to stop Vinícius in the decisive moments. The parakeet coach acknowledged that his team knew how to minimize Madrid for much of the match but that the Brazilian’s two individual performances made the difference. “We couldn’t convert our chances. Fair defeat”said the Espanyol strategist, who now focuses his energies on the match against Sevilla on Saturday, May 9, which he described as a final for salvation.
The Classic decides the title
With the victory, Real Madrid reaches 77 points, 11 behind Barcelona, which has 88 with four games left. The meringues postponed the Barça alirón but they do not change the panorama of the championship, since Barcelona remains the clear favorite to be crowned champion of LaLiga 2025-26.
The title could be decided in the Clásico on May 10 at the Camp Nou if Barcelona wins against Real Madrid, in what would be a historic moment for Spanish football as it would be the first time that the Catalans would mathematically celebrate the title against their eternal rival.
Real Madrid arrives at the Clásico with the mission of staying alive in the fight for LaLiga and preventing Barcelona from celebrating the victory in their own stadium. Vinícius, the undisputed figure of the afternoon, will once again be the main offensive card for the meringues against Barcelona, while the main doubt remains the presence of Kylian Mbappé, who is still recovering from his muscle injury and whose participation in the Classic remains uncertain.