Rodrygo claimed two goals as Real Madrid eased past Espanyol 4-0 at the Estadio Bernabeu to win their 35th La Liga title.
Any early nerves were put to bed after Rodrygo gave Madrid the lead with a glorious shot into the bottom right corner on the half hour mark, only for the Brazilian to double his tally minutes later.
Marco Asensio converted a third in the second half before Karim Benzema struck his 26th league goal of the season to seal the win.
Rodrygo’s heroics helped Real Madrid claim their second La Liga in three years, while Espanyol remain in thirteenth, nine points clear of the relegation zone.
Los Blancos will now look to Wednesday night when they face Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final, with Pep Guardiola’s side 4-3 ahead after last week’s bruising encounter.
TALKING POINT
REAL MADRID DOMINANCE IN LA LIGA… Los Blancos eased to the title with four games to spare while they are now 17 points clear of their nearest challenger Sevilla.
It is their second La Liga in three years and considering the state of Ancelotti’s side’s rivals this season, we could see more Real Madrid domestic dominance in the coming years.
The club’s traditional rivals, Barcelona, have been plagued by financial woes while their form has stuttered in recent weeks as manager Xavi Hernandez attempts to mould his young Catalonian side into a competitive outfit.
Meanwhile Atletico Madrid’s title heroics last year have been followed by an underwhelming season. To emphasis how badly their title defence has gone, by February they had already conceded more goals than in any of Diego Simeone’s previous 11 seasons in charge.
If Real Madrid bolster their forward line with Kylian Mbappe in the summer, as has been reported, we could see the side extend their dominance for another few years yet.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Rodrygo (Real Madrid) – The Brazilian, who is just six months younger than compatriot Vinicius, proved his big game credentials today. Espanyol started the better team and by the half hour mark the Real Madrid fans were growing impatient.
However, Rodrygo stroked in two incredibly composed finishes to calm any nerves. The Brazilian will hope the performance earns him another start against Manchester City in the week.
PLAYER RATINGS
Real Madrid– Courtois – 7, Vazquez – 7, Vallejo – 7, Casemiro – 7, Marcelo – 7, Modric – 8, Camavinga – 7, Ceballos – 7, Rodrygo – 9, Diaz Mejia – 5, Asensio – 8 … Subs: Kroos – 6, Benzema – 8, Vinicius – 7
Espanyol- Lopez – 7, Vidal – 6, Gomez – 6, Calero – 5, Cabrera – 6, Vilhena – 6, Herrera – 5, Darder – 6, Melendo – 6, Puado – 6, De Tomas – 5… Subs: Morlanes – 6, Wu – 6 Merida – 5, Lopez – 6, Vila – 5
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
33’ GOAL – REAL MADRID 1-0 ESPANYOL – Marcelo cut back a delightful ball to his compatriot Rodrygo, who brushed off a challenge before calmly stroking a shot into the bottom right corner to put Madrid ahead.
43’ GOAL REAL MADRID 2-O ESPANYOL – A Real Madrid press saw Rodrygo reclaim the ball from the Espanyol half and make his way to the edge of the box. The winger shuffled onto his right before wrong footing the goal keeper and guiding a low shot into the bottom left corner.
55’ GOAL – REAL MADRID 3- 0 ESPANYOL – Camavinga broke forward and released Asensio, who whipped the ball over Diego Lopez to claim his tenth of the season.
71’ – DISALLOWED GOAL – Benzema cut a ball back to Isco on the edge of the area and the Spanish midfielder stroked a shot past the keeper into the top left corner, only for VAR to rule the goal out after Rodrygo was deemed to have been encroaching on the keeper’s line of sight from an offside position.
80’ REAL MADRID 4-0 ESPANYOL – No Real Madrid game is complete without a goal from Benzema. Vinicius crossed to the Frenchman who found a pocket of space in the box before firing home into the bottom corner.
