Three questions and three answers from Espanyol 0-2 Real Madrid

Real Madrid poured water on any Barcelona title celebrations by delaying the conclusion of the title race until next weekend by beating Espanyol with a pair of sublime second-half finishes from Vinícius Júnior to wrap up a 2-0 victory.

Three answers

1. Would Real Madrid gift Barcelona the league title with another slip-up?

Anything but a win here would’ve seen Barcelona celebrate the La Liga title on Sunday night, just down the road from Cornellà where this match was being played. Instead, the race will now go to next weekend, and the Clásico. It’ll be the first time since 1932 and only the second ever in which a Clásico could seal the title. In some respects, it works out better for a Real Madrid side who will decide their own fate, avoid the humiliation of a guard of honour, and have the opportunity to go down fighting with a statement win, even if it’s not enough to mount a fight back in the title race. In others, it provides Barcelona with the opportunity to celebrate mathematically guaranteeing the title in their own back yard at Camp Nou in the faces of a Real Madrid side who have already suffered enough this season. Such a dramatic ending seems ironically suited to the campaign that Real Madrid have endured in 2025/26, but nothing could rub salt in the wounds more than a Clásico defeat to hand the trophy to Barcelona.

2. Would it become 10 in a row without a clean sheet?

No. Álvaro Arbeloa’s side kept their first clean sheet since the 3-0 win over Manchester City on March 11th, ending a run of nine without a shut-out. That avoided the team matching the dreadful run from 2004 under Carlos Quieroz. Andriy Lunin made three strong saves, all fairly central, and Espanyol’s lacked the cutting edge of Real Madrid’s recent rivals. Their xG of 1.16 was higher than that of Real Betis last weekend, and was the fourth consecutive game at over 1.0, but Espanyol failed to make their chances count. Roberto Fernández and Ramón Terrats were among those to try their luck, but Espanyol’s chances were plentiful, though mostly limited to shots from distance and set pieces. Now, Real Madrid can build on this. If they keep a clean sheet against Barcelona and make it two in a row, it would be the first time the team avoid conceding in two consecutive games since October.

3. Who still has something to play for in this squad?

With a World Cup on the horizon, there is no shortage of players whose minds have drifted beyond Sunday night and Espanyol. Those playing have little left to prove, particularly with a coach who looks more likely to leave than to continue, and with team-mates dropping like flies all around them. Some leaders still step up, the match-winning performance from Vinícius Júnior being one example, while the work rate of youngsters like Thiago Pitarch shows that some are still staking their claim for whoever is in charge next season. One of those cases was Gonzalo García, who offered a reminder of what an attack with a number nine can look like, teeing up Vinícius smartly for his second goal.

Three questions

1. What is the pecking order at left-back?

It would be heartbreaking if it wasn’t so predictable to see Ferland Mendy pull up with another injury. The Frenchman has missed 29 games through injury this season, even more than the 22 he was unavailable for in 2024/25. Despite that, he still seems to be first choice when he is fit. Both Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa have preferred him to Álvaro Carreras or Fran García when available this season. But on 12 minutes, it was clear that Mendy had suffered another setback. What was perhaps surprising was the choice of Arbeloa to introduce García over Carreras, whose facial expressions on the bench left little to the imagination for those wondering what he thought of the change. Carreras arrived with much fanfare a year ago to resolve a problem of an injury-hit veteran and a reserve not up to scratch, yet has somehow ended up behind both. Left-back will, once again, be a priority position for Real Madrid to reinforce this summer, but it will almost certainly demand outgoings to enable the club to address the situation effectively.

2. Could Vinícius end the season as the team’s top non-penalty goalscorer in La Liga?

While Kylian Mbappé was stepping off his private jet from a weekend in Cagliari with Esther Expósito, Vinícius Júnior was firing in a brace at the RCDE Stadium. It was a double which kept the title race alive, but also kept the race among Real Madrid’s forwards alive. It took Vini’s tally for the season to 20 goals in all competitions, 15 in La Liga, 11 of those excluding penalties. That’s only five goals behind Mbappé, whose 24 league goals this season include eight penalties. With four games to go and a gap of five goals, it seems unlikely that the Brazilian will catch his attacking partner, but with Mbappé quite literally taking his vacations early, there is still a chance if Vinícius can maintain this goalscoring form, with 16 goals in all competitions in 2026 second only to Harry Kane for that timeframe.

3. What was Jesús Gil Manzano thinking with that red card?

It’s rare that football fans from all sides come together in agreement, but exactly that happened when Ómar El Hilal was shown a straight red card for an innocuous challenge on Vinícius. It was the first time since the introduction of VAR that the technology has been used to cancel a red card to an opponent of Real Madrid, instead downgrading the sanction to a yellow card which even then seemed harsh. Gil Manzano was one of Spain’s most respected referees in the not-too-distant past, but this match was the latest mistake from him which reflects a downward spiral in his form this season.

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