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Espanyol 1–0 Real Madrid: Player Ratings As Los Blancos Crumble in Barcelona

Real Madrid suffered their first La Liga defeat of the new year against 18th-place Espanyol.

Amanda Langell

Real Madrid were held scoreless in La Liga for the first time this season.
Real Madrid were held scoreless in La Liga for the first time this season. / IMAGO/NurPhoto

A frustrating night against Espanyol ended with Real Madrid dropping points in La Liga for the first time in over a month.

Although Real Madrid arrived at RCDE Stadium as the heavy favorites, nothing seemed to go right for Carlo Ancelotti's men in the first half. Antonio Rüdiger was forced to come off the pitch due to injury just 15 minutes into the match, leaving Los Blancos' already makeshift backline even weaker. Then, Vinícius Júnior saw VAR wipe away his goal for a foul committed by Kylian Mbappé in the build-up.

The defending Spanish champions went into the locker room deadlocked at 0–0 against 18th-place Espanyol. The second half soon proved to be just as frustrating as the first, and tensions threatened to boil over when Carlos Romero was only given a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Mbappé.

Just when a draw looked all-but guaranteed, Espanyol caught Real Madrid out on the counter attack and buried the lone goal of the night. Romero, who was fortunate to not be sent off earlier, sealed all three points for the hosts in the 85th minute.

Los Blancos now only have a one-point gap over Atlético Madrid atop the La Liga standings. With Real Madrid set to host the Madrid derby next weekend, they could very quickly come to regret their poor performance in Barcelona.

Check out the player ratings from Real Madrid's defeat below.

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Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Espanyol (4-2-3-1)

Ratings provided by FotMob

Players

Ratings

GK: Thibaut Courtois

6.1/10

RB: Lucas Vázquez

7.6/10

CB: Aurélien Tchouaméni

7.2/10

CB: Antonio Rüdiger

6.3/10

LB: Fran García

7.1/10

DM: Dani Ceballos

7.2/10

DM: Fede Valverde

7.6/10

RW: Rodrygo

7.6/10

AM: Jude Bellingham

7.2/10

LW: Vinícius Júnior

5.5/10

ST: Kylian Mbappé

7.3/10

SUB: Raúl Asencio (15' for Rüdiger)

6.3/10

SUB: Luka Modrić (80' for Ceballos)

6.1/10

SUB: Brahim Díaz (87' for Vázquez)

N/A

Player of the Match: Joan García (Espanyol)

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Amanda Langell
AMANDA LANGELL

Amanda Langell is a Sports Illustrated Soccer freelance writer covering the European game and international competitions.

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