Relegation-threatened RCD Espanyol pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the La Liga season, defeating league leaders Real Madrid 1-0 at home.
The unexpected victory lifted them out of the drop zone and put an end to Madrid’s five-match winning streak across all competitions.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men entered the contest on the back of a commanding 3-0 triumph in the UEFA Champions League, extending a run in which they had averaged over three goals per game.
However, they struggled to find their rhythm early on at the RCDE Stadium.
Madrid suffered a setback within the first 15 minutes as Antonio Rüdiger limped off injured. The game’s opening stages were cagey, with Espanyol’s Jofre Carreras registering the first meaningful attempt, a powerful shot that Thibaut Courtois did well to parry.
The visitors thought they had broken the deadlock midway through the half when Vinicius Junior found the net, but the goal was ruled out due to Kylian Mbappé’s off-the-ball foul on Pol Lozano.
Despite dominating possession for three-quarters of the first half, Madrid struggled to create clear-cut chances, with their first real effort coming in the 39th minute—Jude Bellingham’s curling strike, which was comfortably gathered by Joan Garcia.
After the break, Madrid ramped up the pressure, eager to make Garcia work. Within eight minutes, Bellingham’s fierce shot forced a save, but Mbappé failed to convert the rebound.
Dani Ceballos and Vinicius also came close, the latter blasting over from close range.
With 15 minutes remaining, Rodrygo weaved through Espanyol’s defense after receiving a pass from Mbappé, but his shot ricocheted off both Garcia and the post, staying out.
Moments later, Mbappé attempted a similar move from the left, only for Garcia to pull off another fine save.
Espanyol, having absorbed the pressure, looked to strike on the counter but initially lacked cutting edge. That changed in the 85th minute when they launched a rapid counterattack after clearing a Madrid free-kick.
Omar El Hilali delivered a precise cross to the back post, where Carlos Romero met it with a superb volley to stun the visitors.
Madrid threw everything forward in the seven minutes of stoppage time, but Espanyol held firm to claim their third home victory over Los Merengues in six meetings.
With this loss, Real Madrid’s advantage at the top of the table has now been cut to just one point.
