Vini Jr nets twice to delay Barcelona celebrations

Vini Jr nets twice to delay Barcelona celebrations

Real Madrid left the RCDE Stadium with all three points after a 2-0 victory over Espanyol in the 34th round of LaLiga EA Sports 25/26. The match was balanced for long spells, but the visitors made their greater share of possession count when Vinícius Júnior delivered the decisive breakthrough just after the hour mark.

Espanyol finished the game with more shots, 17 to Real Madrid's 15, yet the away side were more efficient in front of goal and also had the edge in possession, controlling 66% of the ball. Real Madrid created the clearer chances, posting an expected goals figure of 1.66 compared with Espanyol's 1.26, and managed five shots on target from their 15 attempts.

The opener arrived in the 55th minute, when Gonzalo García provided the assist for Vinícius Júnior, who netted his 14th league goal of the campaign and his 126th for the club. The same combination was not needed for the second, as Jude Bellingham set up Vinícius again in the 66th minute for a second finish that put the result beyond doubt.

Espanyol battled throughout and forced Real Madrid to work, but the visitors were able to combine control and clinical finishing to close out the contest. In the end, Vinícius Júnior was the standout figure, scoring both goals in a professional away win for Carlo Ancelotti's side.

Incidents: The story of the match