Vinicius Junior scored twice in the second half as Real Madrid beat Espanyol 2-0 away in La Liga on Sunday, keeping their slim title hopes alive.

With four matches remaining, Barcelona lead the standings on 88 points, 11 clear of second-placed Real Madrid. Next weekend's Clasico at Camp Nou could confirm Barcelona as champions for a second successive season.

Vinicius broke the deadlock in the 55th minute, driving in from the left and exchanging passes with Gonzalo before cutting inside two defenders and finishing low off the post.

The Brazilian struck again in the 66th minute after a fine one-two with Jude Bellingham, guiding a first-time effort into the top corner.

Real Madrid were without several key starters including Kylian Mbappe, Arda Guler, Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao. Despite that, they controlled the game from the start and almost went ahead in the eighth minute when Vinicius hit the post.

The visitors struggled to create clear chances in a slow-paced contest until Vinicius decided the match needed a spark. His two goals delayed Barcelona's title celebrations, but only for a week as the Catalans have the chance to wrap up the title against their old rivals next weekend.

Source: www.aljazeera.com