Espanyol vs. Real Madrid: Score, Grades and Reaction from La Liga

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a second-half hat-trick as Real Madrid won, 4-1, at Espanyol on Sunday, but the victory was not enough to deny Barcelona the Liga title.

Ronaldo struck in the 59th and 83rd minutes as Madrid rebounded from crashing out of the UEFA Champions League midweek against Juventus. Christian Stuani briefly pulled Espanyol level in the 73rd minute, but Marcelo restored Real's lead moments later.

None of the goals had any effect on the title race, however, as Barcelona wrapped up the league championship with a 1-0 victory at Atletico Madrid in a match played simultaneously. Barca had entered the weekend with a four-point lead with two matches left, and Lionel Messi's lone goal was enough to capture the first of what could be three trophies this spring.

Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Real Madrid, in contrast, are left to face a bitterly disappointing end to the season. After claiming the club's 10th Champions League title last term, Carlo Ancelotti's men are now guaranteed to finish the current campaign without any silverware.

That fact has led to plenty of speculation over Ancelotti's future with the club, and in the coming days, the club will likely announce whether the Italian will remain in charge.

Up next for Real Madrid is the season finale, a home match against Getafe on Saturday. Espanyol play at Celta Vigo the same day.

Both teams struggled to create clear chances in the first half, with the first opportunity for either side coming in the 13th minute. Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal curled a cross from the right flank toward the back post, where Ronaldo bounced a header wide of the goal.

Four minutes later, Victor Sanchez had a shot deflected off target following a flowing Espanyol move.

The first shot on target for either side did not arrive until the 33rd minute, when Espanyol's Abraham directed a weak effort straight at Keylor Navas following a Felipe Caicedo backheel flick.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Real's first shot on target followed two minutes later as Ronaldo directed a weak bouncer at Kiko Casilla following a Carvajal pass.

The visitors hit the woodwork early in the second half as Marcelo picked out Karim Benzema with a cross in the 54th minute. Benzema struck an acrobatic volley off the opposite post, but the linesman's flag was up for offside.

Real were beginning to pick up their attacking pace, and in the 58th minute, James Rodriguez dragged a low shot narrowly wide of the post. One minute later, the breakthrough finally arrived.

Pepe won possession to initiate a quick counter, which Benzema led down the middle. The Frenchman laid off for Ronaldo on the left, and after taking a pair of touches, Ronaldo shot through Casilla's legs for a 1-0 Real lead.

The visitors came close to a second goal in the 65th minute as the ball bounced free momentarily in Espanyol's box following a corner. But Casilla smothered it alertly to snuff out the danger.

Espanyol had a chance to equalize in the 69th minute, when Victor Alvarez curled a free kick to the back post. Stuani rose highest to meet the ball but headed over the bar.

Another big chance followed for the hosts one minute later. Sergio Garcia passed along the edge of the box to Stuani, who freed Sanchez with a clever, no-look flick. Sanchez rounded Marcelo to set up a potential one-on-one with Navas, but Carvajal slid across to make a crucial block.

Alex Caparros/Getty Images

The pressure was mounting, and in the 73rd minute, Espanyol equalized. The chance came about when Stuani caught Navas in possession as the Real goalkeeper held the ball in his own box. An attempted clearance fell to Garcia, who squared back to Stuani to slot in past Navas. Madrid angrily appealed for a foul against Stuani, but the referee denied the claims, allowing the goal to stand.

Their disappointment was short-lived. In the 79th minute, Real restored their lead. After Espanyol were unable to clear an Asier Illarramendi free kick, Marcelo played a one-two with Ronaldo along the edge of the box. Upon receiving the return pass, the Brazilian slammed his first-time shot past Casilla and into the roof of the net.

Ronaldo made it 3-1 just four minutes later. Marcelo opened up the defense with a high pass down the left for Javier Hernandez, and the latter pulled back into the middle for the onrushing Ronaldo. With his first touch, the Portuguese superstar rifled into the net to seal his side's victory.

There was still time for Ronaldo to complete his hat-trick with a back-post header in the 90th minute, but it wouldn't prove enough. Despite showing resilience to secure victory against Espanyol's spirited challenge, Real were no longer able to catch Barcelona, whose lone goal at Atletico proved the title-winner.

Grades

Starting XI	Rating
Substitutes	Rating
Kiko Casilla	5.9
Alvaro Gonzalez	6.7
Diego Colotto	6.6
Hector Moreno	6.6
Anaitz Arbilla	6.7
Victor Sanchez	6.8
Javi Lopez	6.6
Victor Alvarez	6.6
Abraham	6.1
Sergio Garcia	6.4
Felipe Caicedo	6.4
Christian Stuani (for Caicedo 64')	7.0
Paco Montanes (for Colotto 84')	5.9
Felipe Mattioni (for Abraham 84')	5.9

Starting XI	Rating
Substitutes	Rating
Keylor Navas	5.8
Dani Carvajal	7.8
Pepe	6.9
Raphael Varane	7.7
Marcelo	7.7
Isco	7.7
Toni Kroos	7.6
James Rodriguez	7.7
Gareth Bale	7.6
Karim Benzema	7.3
Cristiano Ronaldo	10.0
Javier Hernandez (for Benzema 63')	6.3
Asier Illarramendi (for Isco 73')	6.6
Nacho (for Carvajal 81')	6.3

Reaction

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, via Football Espana: "I’d liked to have won the Champions League [as well as the League]. We came close, but we’ll try next year. We had a good first half of the season, but we didn’t close it out."

Real Madrid defender Marcelo, via Football Espana: 

"

[Our dip in form] had nothing to do with the Club World Cup. We fought until the end, but this is football and we must start thinking about next season.

I hope Ancelotti can continue. He’s a great coach and has given a lot to us. We didn’t win any titles, but we need to start getting ready for next season.

"

Follow @MiguelCominguez