With two goals from Vinícius Júnior (55', 66') Real Madrid overcame Espanyol 2-0 away, delaying Barcelona's title celebrations in La Liga. A different outcome in this 34th round match would have guaranteed the Catalan giants their championship title, but Real Madrid's victory kept the tension alive. The upcoming match between Real Madrid and Barcelona on May 10 at Camp Nou will decide the league's champion, with a draw sufficient for Barcelona to claim the title.

Real Madrid, playing at Bernabéu, spared themselves the embarrassment of being made to play lap of honor to the champions for an entire week.

Interestingly, this marks the third consecutive time Barcelona has missed out on becoming champions in a direct duel with Espanyol. In the past two seasons, the "culés" managed to clinch the title by defeating their local rivals as visitors and securing their position at the top.

In this match, a critical moment came shortly after halftime, when the score was still 0-0. Trent Alexander-Arnold received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on a home player, which in other circumstances could have led to a red card.

A potential red card for Vinícius Júnior due to a foul was overturned by VAR before halftime. Meanwhile, the Brazilian player also struck the crossbar in the early minutes.

Real Madrid were missing several injured players, including Kylian Mbappé, Éder Militão, Arda Güler, Rodrygo, and Thibaut Courtois. Under these circumstances, Álvaro Arbeloa opted to put Vinícius Júnior forward, and Thiago Pitarch was once again deployed in the midfield.

Espanyol, meanwhile, is close to the relegation zone after 17 consecutive league matches without a win in La Liga.

The hosts initiated the first shot in the third minute through Roberto Fernández, followed by a shot from Ruben Sánchez a minute later.

Real Madrid responded in the eighth minute with a shot by Vinícius Júnior into the side netting after a fine pass from Bellingham. Shortly after, Ferland Mendy was injured and replaced by Fran García.

The tension increased around the 20-minute mark. Vinícius Júnior received a yellow card for a confrontation with Omar El Hilali. However, the home player returned the favor, receiving a red card for a dangerous challenge on the Brazilian. The referee, however, changed his decision to a yellow card after a VAR review.

In the 40th minute, Valverde's header was caught by Espanyol's goalkeeper, and Braim's powerful shot in the 43rd minute went over the crossbar.

In the first half's added time, the hosts had two good opportunities for a goal.

Five minutes after the break, Trent was "yellow carded" for a dangerous tackle on an opponent. The referee was advised not to review the incident for a potential red card. Soon after, Alexander-Arnold made another aggressive tackle, prompting Arbeloa to warn him to be more careful.

Real Madrid took the lead in the 55th minute when Vinícius, fresh off the bench, scored after a pass from Gonzalo García. This was followed by a dangerous shot from Ramon Térats for Espanyol, which went out in the 65th minute.

In the subsequent attack, Vinícius scored the second goal for Real Madrid, securing a 2-0 lead.

The Catalan team made weak attempts to reduce the score, but Matantuano and Gonzalo García missed opportunities to score.

In the end, Bellingham missed a chance to score against the goalkeeper.