Blow to LaLiga! Espanyol surprises Real Madrid and revives the battle for the lead (1-0)

Espanyol pulled off the big surprise of matchday 22 of LaLiga with a narrow victory against the leader Real Madrid (1-0). The 'pericos' resisted the 'merengue' siege throughout the match and ended up taking the victory with a stunning goal from Carlos Romero in the 85th minute, reopening the battle for the lead. If FC Barcelona defeats Alavés this Sunday, they will close to 4 points, with the Madrid derby to be played next week at the Santiago Bernabéu.

The first half was influenced by two key actions where luck turned its back on the 'merengues'. First, in the 15th minute, Carlo Ancelotti's team lost Antonio Rüdiger to injury. The German center-back felt a pull in the back of his left thigh and had to ask for a substitution immediately. Homegrown player Raúl Asencio came on in his place, trying to bring order to a defense that always struggles with Lucas Vázquez and Aurélien Tchouaméni on the field.

Mbappé saved Espanyol from a goal in the first half

Then, in the 21st minute, Vinicius Jr. was left with a goal shout stuck in his throat because of Kylian Mbappé. The Brazilian had scored a stunning goal with a placed shot, but the referee Muñiz Ruiz disallowed the goal for a prior foul by 'Kiki' on Pol Lozano. Both players entered the area tussling, but the '9' clearly pushed the 'perico' player.

The scare from the disallowed goal to 'Vini' did Espanyol good, as beyond completely ceding possession, they did not suffer too many setbacks in their area for the rest of the first half, except for a powerful shot from Jude Bellingham in the 39th minute that Joan García saved in two attempts. That was, in fact, the only shot on target from the LaLiga leader before the break, while the locals also created danger with a shot from Jofre neutralized by Courtois.

Madrid pushed for victory in the second half

As soon as the second half started, Espanyol had the first clear chance after a good run from Carlos Romero that ended with a high shot from the 'blanquiazul' full-back. The 'merengues' responded with a double clear opportunity in which Joan García made two fantastic saves against Bellingham and Mbappé, the latter after the rebound from the English international's shot.

Madrid returned to the opponent's half, but the 'pericos' defense held firm in an organized manner, with a compact block that also dared to counter quickly whenever a Madrid player failed a pass. In the 75th minute, Rodrygo came close to scoring with a great individual action, but García, already the star of the match by that point, neutralized the Brazilian's close-range shot in two attempts. Afterwards, the '1' shone again with another great stretch to send a cross-shot from Kylian to the corner.

Carlos Romero capped off a perfect counter to deliver a blow to LaLiga

When Espanyol seemed to be on the ropes, a lethal counter allowed the locals to unexpectedly open the scoring. The quick exit from the back allowed Pol Lozano to find Omar El Hilali free on the flank, who then sent a cross to the far post, where Carlos Romero appeared completely alone to finish first time against Courtois with a soft right touch. The right flank, with Lucas Vázquez, always gives some opportunity to rivals to hurt the white defense.

With the defeat, Madrid remains at the top with 49 points, but only one above Atlético Madrid, who defeated Mallorca at home (2-0) this Saturday. Barça could be the biggest beneficiary in the long run, as a draw in the Madrid derby could leave them just a couple of points from the lead. LaLiga is more alive than ever, with four months of competition ahead.

Technical sheet of the match Espanyol 1-0 Real Madrid

• Espanyol, 1: Joan García; El Hilali, Cabrera, Kumbulla, Carlos Romero; Urko González (Roca, min. 63), Kral, Pol Lozano; Jofre Carreras (Tejero, min. 63), Puado (Calero, min. 82) and Roberto (Véliz, min. 73).
• Real Madrid, 0: Courtois; Lucas Vázquez (Brahim Díaz, min. 87), Tchouaméni, Rüdiger, Fran García; Valverde, Ceballos (Luka Modric, min. 80); Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinícius; Mbappé.
• Goals: 1-0, Carlos Romero (min. 85).
• Referee: Muñiz Fernández. He cautioned Carlos Romero and Kumbulla from Espanyol. He disallowed a goal from Vinicius for a prior foul by Mbappé.
• Stadium: RCDE Stadium, Cornellà-El Prat.
• Incidents: match corresponding to matchday 22 of LaLiga EA Sports 2024-25.