A brace from Vinicius Junior led Real Madrid to a 2–0 victory over a woeful Espanyol side on Sunday evening, keeping the Spanish giants mathematically alive in the La Liga title race for at least another week.
Álvaro Arbeloa’s men made the trip to Catalonia looking to get back to winning ways after a late collapse against Real Betis last time out. Yet it was Espanyol, who have not won a match in 2026, that were the hungrier side in the opening 45 minutes.
Los Blancos turned it on after the restart, though, and Vinicius Jr bagged his side’s breakthrough in the 55th minute, before he doubled their lead just 11 minutes later to finish off a lovely backheel assist from Jude Bellingham.
The three points were enough to deny Barcelona the La Liga title this weekend, but Real Madrid will need a win in El Clásico next Sunday to once again delay the inevitable.
One Thing We Can’t Ignore
While Kylian Mbappé enjoyed an impromptu vacation in Italy, Brahim Díaz took his place up top alongside Vinicius Jr against Espanyol. It was obvious fairly soon after the opening whistle that Real Madrid once again were desperately missing a striker.
Vinicius Jr and Brahim would make runs down either flank, as would Trent Alexander-Arnold, yet when they finally looked up to lob in a cross or link up with another player in dark blue, there was no one there. The problem has occurred so many times this season—even when Mbappé is on the pitch—that it is expected at this point.
The more frustrating aspect of the situation is Arbeloa’s continued refusal to start Gonzalo García. The natural No. 9 gives Los Blancos a presence inside the 18-yard-box, someone to get on the end of dangerous balls or at least make tantalizing runs. Yet he once again was overlooked in the XI.
Arbeloa came to his senses in the 53rd minute and brought Gonzalo onto the pitch—and two minutes later he assisted Vinicius Jr’s breakthrough. Finally the Brazilian had a supporting cast member to play a simple one-two with him to get Real Madrid on the scoresheet.
Sure, there are fundamental issues with this Real Madrid team that would have prevented them from winning silverware no matter what, but too often this season the easiest, most blatant solutions have been ignored by both former boss Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa.
Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Espanyol (4-2-3-1)
GK: Andriy Lunin—8.2: Will breathe a sigh of relief now that he finally kept his first clean sheet of the season ... and he only had to make three saves to do so.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold—7.4: Would be well within his right to complain about his teammates never finishing off his delicious service. Still, he had his fingerprints all over the game.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger—6.7: Making all the right moves to ensure he gets a contract extension. A brick wall at the back.
CB: Dean Huijsen—7.3: Helped hold Roberto Fernández to zero shots on target. Finally looks to have found his groove defending, a positive sign for the future.
LB: Ferland Mendy—6.2: Suffered yet another injury that forced him off the pitch in the 14th minute.
DM: Thiago Pitarch—7.1: Covered immense ground, willing to do whatever necessary to help his side maintain possession or win it back. Tidy in possession as well.
DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—8.0: A one-man wrecking crew. Made key interceptions with ease and recovered the ball in dangerous areas with poise. Only downside was his somewhat errant passing.
RW: Federico Valverde—7.3: Not one of his more memorable performances, but he deserves credit for his leadership. His rousing speech inside the huddle before the restart clearly had its intended impact.
AM: Jude Bellingham—8.2: So good with the ball at his feet that he spent most of the night getting chopped down by Espanyol players. Finally rewarded for his silky moves with an exceptional backheel assist to set up Vinicius Jr’s second.
LW: Vinicius Junior—9.2: Denied by the woodwork early on but made up for it in the second half. Bagged a brace to secure all three points, with his brilliant first-time finish on the second stealing the show.
ST: Brahim Díaz—6.5: Lacked any sort of impact beyond one half-chance. Absolutely no synergy with Vinicius Jr.
SUB: Fran García (14’ for Mendy)—7.2: Found himself chasing after Rubén Sánchez at times, but otherwise held his own.
SUB: Gonzalo García (53’ for Díaz)—6.8: Made an instant impact. Assisted the match-winner and gave Real Madrid’s attack some dynamism.
SUB: Franco Mastantuono (53’ for Pitarch)—6.9: Bright in spurts. Saw a great chance saved in the 79th minute.
SUB: Eduardo Camavinga (84’ for Tchouaméni)—N/A
SUB: César Palacios (84’ for Vinicius Jr)—N/A
Subs not used: Fran González (GK), Sergio Mestre (GK), Álvaro Carreras, David Alaba, David Jiménez, Raúl Asencio.
What the Ratings Tell Us
- Real Madrid are likely bringing in a deep-lying playmaker this summer, possibly pushing Eduardo Camavinga out the door. But his fellow countryman Aurélien Tchouaméni does not have anything to worry about. The France international is an irreplaceable piece of the XI, one that continuously shows up even when the rest of his team seems disinterested.
- He hasn’t been immune to criticism this season, but Vinicius Junior has quietly brought his goal tally to 21, and 14 have come in 2026. Only Harry Kane has scored more goals since the calendar flipped.
- Thiago Pitarch could be getting his final starts with the first team before a new manager likely comes in. It would be harsh to doom the teenager back to Real Madrid Castilla, but his stock has simply not been raised enough to compete with the likes of his fellow midfielders, as well as a new signing. Exiting the match in the 53rd minute did his cause no favors.
The Numbers That Explain Real Madrid’s Bounce Back Win
- Real Madrid were playing slow in the first half, giving Espanyol the opportunity to disrupt their play with continuous fouls. The hosts committed 11 fouls in the opening 45 minutes and ended the game with 19.
- The game was truly a tale of two halves for Los Blancos. They mustered a dreadful 0.29 xG in the first half, but they recorded a 1.46 xG in the second half, which they outperformed.
- Espanyol mustered 17 shots, two more than Real Madrid, but they were not quality looks at goal thanks to disruptions from Antonio Rüdiger and Dean Huijsen.
| Statistic | Espanyol | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 34% | 66% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.16 | 1.75 |
| Total Shots | 17 | 15 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 5 |
| Big Chances | 1 | 2 |
| Pass Accuracy | 80% | 91% |
| Fouls | 19 | 16 |
| Corners | 5 | 6 |
READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC
- The 10 Players With the Most Goals in a Calendar Year—Ranked
- Espanyol vs. Real Madrid: Preview, Predictions and Lineups
- Transfer Rumors: Man Utd Step Up Pulisic Interest; Barcelona Receive $105 Million Raphinha Bid
- The 15 Best Real Madrid Defenders of All Time—Ranked
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Espanyol: Vinicius Jr Denies Barcelona Title Celebrations.
