Real Madrid player ratings vs. Espanyol: Wasteful Blancos drop points! Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe forget their shooting boots in sloppy loss to blow title race wide open

Carlo Ancelotti's side slumped to a poor loss on the road as their star attackers fell short.

Real Madrid were punished for a poor performance Saturday evening, losing 1-0 to a well-organized Espanyol side to give Atletico Madrid and Barcelona life in the title race. Los Blancos had the majority of the ball, but a lack of cutting edge in front of goal saw the league leaders slump to a drab away loss.

Carlo Ancelotti's thought they had the lead after 20 minutes, when Vinicius Jr curled a wonderful effort into the bottom corner. But a foul in the build up from Kylian Mbappe saw it disallowed. Espanyol defended diligently otherwise, and limited Madrid chances for the majority of the first half.

The story was largely the same after the break. Madrid showed plenty of intent, but found little joy. There were constant shots, without much material to show for them. Rodrygo came close with 15 minutes remaining, cutting inside his man before hitting the post with a poked effort. Mbappe, too, nearly found the net - only to lash the ball wide.

And Espanyol made them pay for it all. The home side pieced together a fluid counter-attack that ended with a side-footed finish from left-back Carlos Romero. It was entirely deserved, in the end, Los Blancos showing that this title might be harder to win than we all thought.

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Stage Front Stadium...

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Goalkeeper & Defence
Thibaut Courtois (6/10):
Made a couple of important saves, and could do nothing about the goal.
Lucas Vazquez (6/10):
Got up and down the right side, looked to find the front three, did his bit defensively.
Aurelien Tchouameni (5/10):
Lost a couple of key duels, and was a bit fortunate not to be punished.
Antonio Rudiger (N/A):
Exited with an injury after 15 minutes. Not good for Madrid whatsoever.
Fran Garcia (7/10):
Lively throughout, and full of energy on the wing. Probably his side's best player.

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Midfield
Federico Valverde (5/10):
An uncharacteristically quiet showing. Didn't get forward much and seemed to lack energy at times. Lost his man on the goal.
Dani Ceballos (6/10):
Won the ball, passed it sideways. Boring, but important.
Jude Bellingham (7/10):
Never stopped running, was selfless off the ball, and looked to link with the front three.
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Attack
Rodrygo (5/10):
Good until he had to make a decision in possession. Some of his passing was pretty woeful.
Kylian Mbappe (4/10):
Really struggled to get involved in the first half. A bit more impactful in the second without making anything happen.
Vinicius Jr (6/10):
Had a wonderful goal disallowed, constantly ran at his man, but never provided that crucial final moment of inspiration.

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Subs & Manager
Raul Asencio (7/10):
Called into action after just 15 minutes when Rudiger went off injured. Rock solid at the back.
Luka Modric (5/10):
Barely involved in 20 minutes.
Brahim Diaz (N/A):
A late roll of the dice. Never quite had an impact.
Carlo Ancelotti (3/10):
What a poor evening. His side were pretty woeful, and he might have lost his star centre-back to injury. Title race on, concerns palpable.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

Subs & Manager