Real Madrid must defeat Espanyol in order to mathematically stop Barcelona winning La Liga this evening, and they are doing their job after taking the lead 10 minutes into the second half at the RCDE Stadium.
It’s been a difficult evening for Alvaro Arbeloa’s side, who have struggled to test a resilient and strong Espanyol defence. If they were going to break through, it was always going to come from Vinicius Junior, so it is no surprise that he has opened the scoring.
Fine solo strike from Vinicius gives Real Madrid lead
After collecting the ball from Fede Valverde, Vinicius skipped inside one player before exchanging passes with substitute Gonzalo Garcia. After getting the ball back, he sold two defenders with a cut inside before firing past Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic via the inside of the post.
🚨 Vinicius Júnior really wonderful goal!
🇪🇸 Espanyol 0–1 Real Madridpic.twitter.com/nOeRVMSmvY
— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) May 3, 2026
A piece of brilliance from Vini Jr. to open the scoring! 🔥
And much needed for Real Madrid ⚪
𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 @sbk | 18+ | 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝐺𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑦 pic.twitter.com/FzjFBCLdML
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) May 3, 2026
What a goal by Vini Jr. to keep Real Madrid alive in the title race 😨 pic.twitter.com/2bZaLPL3Ax
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 3, 2026
Gonzalo had been expected to start in Catalonia, so it was a surprise that he was named on the bench once again. Nevertheless, he’s made an impression since coming on, although all of the credit must go to Vinicius for a magical effort.
