At a glance
- Vinicius Junior scored twice in the second half as Real Madrid beat Espanyol 2-0
- The result prevented Barcelona from mathematically sealing LaLiga before El Clásico
- Barcelona can now win the title directly against Real Madrid at Camp Nou next weekend
Vinicius Junior scored twice in the second half in Cornellà to give Real Madrid a 2-0 win over Espanyol and delay Barcelona’s title celebration for at least one more week. Had Madrid dropped points, Barça would have been crowned champions immediately. Instead, the race moves to El Clásico, where Barcelona can seal La Liga directly.
How Vinicius turned the Espanyol game on its head
The first half was slow, tense and short on clear chances. Madrid had possession but little rhythm, while Espanyol competed with aggression and kept the game closer to friction than football. Then Vinicius broke things open in the 55th minute, combining with Gonzalo before driving into the box and finishing low off the post. Eleven minutes later he struck again, latching onto a Jude Bellingham backheel to finish first time into the top corner.
Two goals. Two reminders that Madrid, however wounded, were not ready to stand aside.
Vinicius kills the guard of honour story with his game against Espanyol
Before kick-off, the narrative almost wrote itself. A Barcelona title confirmed before El Clásico. A possible guard of honour. A Madrid side limping toward the end of a trophyless season. Vinicius tore that script apart with the kind of individual performance that explains why Madrid still need his chaos even when the structure around him fails to function.
In a season where he has often lived between whistles, criticism and frustration, this was one of those nights that cuts through all of it.
Barcelona now have to win it in front of Real Madrid
The consequence matters enormously for how this season will be remembered. Barcelona still have the league almost sealed – 11 points clear with four games remaining, needing only Madrid not to win El Clásico to be crowned champions. But thanks to Vinicius and the result against Espanyol, they will have to do it with Real Madrid standing directly in front of them at Camp Nou.
That changes the emotional weight of the match entirely. For Madrid, it is a final act of resistance in a season that has gone wrong almost everywhere else.
Mendy injury is the latest blow for a depleted Madrid squad
The win still came with a familiar warning. Ferland Mendy lasted only 13 minutes before being replaced by Fran García, the latest in a long line of physical setbacks across a season where Madrid’s defensive line has been repeatedly torn apart. Kylian Mbappé, Arda Güler, Thibaut Courtois and Éder Militão were all already unavailable heading into the trip to Espanyol.
Madrid are not arriving at El Clásico as a full-strength contender. They are arriving as a damaged team with one last point to prove – and for now, Vinicius is the one carrying it.
