Real Madrid didn’t win with the conviction you might have expected but from their point of view, a win of any kind was enough. Six more and they are champions.
Espanyol had their chances but they did not take them and when you are knee deep in relegation doo doo then that is a cardinal sin.
Early opportunities out of the window and it was Madrid’s turn to dominate.
Sergio Ramos headed over from point blank range, Casemiro followed suit.
But just before half-time, they got the breakthrough. It took a piece of magic, the only one in the game, from Karim Benzema.
The Frenchman has been Madrid’s best player since Cristiano Ronaldo left and was once again. He back-heeled it through a defender’s legs into the path of Casemiro, who finished well from right in front of goal.
“It was a nice assist but the important thing is that Casemiro finished it off well,” said Benzema.
“We are not looking at Barcelona, we’re just focusing on our own games, each match is a final for us and we got the three points today.”
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The win leaves Madrid two points ahead of Barca and they have the better head-to-head record too.