Barcelona secured their 28th LaLiga title on Thursday when they defeated city rivals Espanyol 2-0, establishing an unassailable seven-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid with only two games remaining.
Following a 4-3 defeat at Barcelona on Sunday, Real Madrid needed to win their final three matches and hope that the league leaders earned no more than one point during the same period to maintain any mathematical possibility of claiming the title.
However, their faint title aspirations were extinguished when Lamine Yamal curled a superb shot into the back of the net in the 53rd minute. Fermin Lopez then sealed the victory by striking a ball from inside the box, assisted by Yamal, five minutes into stoppage time.
The result propelled Hansi Flick’s Barca to 85 points, seven ahead of last season’s champions Real Madrid, with Atletico Madrid in third place with 70 points. This triumph marks a remarkable first season at Barca for coach Hansi Flick, as his side have achieved the LaLiga and Copa del Rey double.
The Catalan club announced that they will be presented with the league trophy on Friday during a special celebration in the city.
Barca were moments away from celebrating the title without even playing on Wednesday until Real Madrid scored a late winning goal against Mallorca, keeping their slim hopes alive.
But Barca took matters into their own hands with a hard-fought victory at Espanyol. The match was briefly delayed after several fans were injured when they were struck by a car outside the stadium.
The hosts were arguably the superior side in a goalless first half, thanks in part to a brilliant reflex save from Barca goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who denied a close-range effort from Javi Puado during one of Espanyol’s several dangerous counter-attacks.
Just when it seemed Barcelona were lacking ideas on how to break down their opponents, teenage sensation Lamine Yamal produced a moment of magic, scoring a stunning goal with what is becoming his signature move.
The 17-year-old received the ball on the right touchline and executed a superb lateral run parallel to the edge of the box before unleashing a curling strike between two defenders and into the top corner of the net.
“Lamine’s goal is a move he practices a lot; he had scored twice today in the warm-up the same way. We have to look after him and let him enjoy it; he is fantastic,” his teammate Pedri told Movistar Plus.
“You don’t win a league every day, so now we need to enjoy it and celebrate this trophy. It was one of the most complicated titles. We are happy with the year we have had. We’ve enjoyed it, and so have the fans.”
Yamal’s goal provided a significant confidence boost as Barca took control of the match. After Leandro Cabrera was shown a straight red card for elbowing Yamal in the body in the 80th minute, substitute Fermin Lopez secured the win, initiating the title celebrations.
