Espanyol – Real Madrid: Vinicius Junior’s shining Becomes A Tradition In The Absence Of Mbappé (0-2)

Real Madrid landed in Barcelona with one mission in mind, which was to delay Hansi Flick's side's La Liga win celebration. The first part of the game was lackadaisical for different reasons on both sides. In the second half, Vinicius Junior found his true self in the left half-space, with the help of Gonzalo Garcia and Jude Bellingham working in tandem to pave the road for the Brazilian toward the net.

Tactical analysis and match report by Achraf Lamdarhri.

For the second season in a row, Real Madrid arrived in May with the odds of ending the campaign with a single trophy. The changes in the dugout didn't help Los Blancos return to the podiums, since the squad lacks any sort of balance. The presence of Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior on the same pitch adds insult to injury, as the team looks more disjointed. Not only that, but Real Madrid's win percentage seems to increase when one of them is off the pitch. Before heading to Barcelona, Alvaro Arbeloa stated that individual talent isn't sufficient in modern football and that collective performance, commitment, and discipline are the ingredients for success.

Espanyol found themselves in a critical situation as they struggled to build any momentum in the second half of the season. Despite the promising start to the 2025/26 campaign, Manolo González failed to secure a single victory in the 2026 calendar year, a winless drought that extends to sixteen consecutive league matches dating back to December. Espanyol is one of the weakest defenses in La Liga, as before Real Madrid's clash, they conceded 49 . . .