Vinicius Junior fires Real Madrid past Espanyol 2-0 in La Liga
Vinicius Junior scored twice after the break as Real Madrid beat Espanyol 2-0 away in la liga, keeping Barcelona from wrapping up the title on the spot. The result leaves Madrid still chasing and Barcelona still waiting after a night that began with the title race hanging on a single result.
Vinicius Junior at Espanyol
Vinicius settled it with two second-half goals, turning a tight away game into a clean win for Real Madrid. His finishing gave Madrid the answer they needed in a match they had to take, and it arrived before Espanyol could find a response.
Marko Dmitrovic prevented the score from becoming larger. He saved Franco Mastantuono’s shot from the edge of the box, then denied Jude Bellingham after Gonzalo Garcia picked him out in the middle. Trent Alexander-Arnold also tried to release Bellingham with a cross from the left flank, but that move did not turn into a third Real Madrid goal.
Barcelona title race pressure
The margin around the title stayed narrow in practical terms for Real Madrid, even with Barcelona 14 points clear in La Liga. Barcelona would win the title if Real fail to win, and this result delayed that celebration only for the time being.
Espanyol had beaten Real Madrid 1-0 at the same ground last season through Carlos Romero, so this trip carried a clear edge even before kickoff. Real handled that pressure and left with the points, while Urko Gonzalez de Zarate picked up a yellow card for pulling on the shirt of Real Madrid substitute Cesar Palacios.
Late changes and control
Vinicius later came off along with Aurelien Tchouameni, with Cesar Palacios and Eduardo Camavinga sent on in the closing stages. Five minutes were added at the end, but Real had already done the damage by then and Espanyol never found a way back into the game.
That leaves Madrid with one simple carryover from this win: keep winning and the title race stays alive. Barcelona still have the clearer position, but this 2-0 result made sure they could not celebrate because of what happened at Espanyol.
