Real Madrid win record-extending 35th LaLiga title

• Real Madrid win a record-extending 35th LaLiga title after two first-half goals from Rodrygo.
• Rodrygo’s double put Real 2-0 up at the break before Marco Asensio added a third after 55 minutes.
• Captain Benzema lifted trophy after coming off the bench late in the second half.

MADRID: Real Madrid won a record-extending 35th LaLiga title after two first-half goals from Rodrygo spurred them to a 4-0 home victory over mid-table Espanyol on Saturday.

The win also made their Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti the first manager to capture titles in each of Europe’s top five leagues — England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.

Rodrygo’s double put Real 2-0 up at the break before Marco Asensio added a third after 55 minutes and LaLiga top scorer Karim Benzema sealed the points in the 81st.

Captain Benzema lifted the trophy after coming off the bench late in the second half as Ancelotti rested several regular starters with Real hosting Manchester City in their Champions League semi-final second leg on Wednesday trailing 4-3.

Real have 81 points with four games to go. They are 17 points ahead of second-placed Sevilla and 18 clear of Barcelona, who have a game in hand, and needed a point against Espanyol to clinch the title with almost a month of the season remaining.

It was a record-breaking day for defender Marcelo, who won his 24th piece of silverware with Real to leapfrog Gento as the player with the most trophy wins in the club’s 120-year history.