With a 2-0 victory against local rivals Espanyol on Thursday, Barcelona was crowned La Liga champions thanks to a spectacular goal from Lamine Yamal. The win also ensured that Real Madrid would not be able to overtake them at the top of the table.
With two games left, Hansi Flick’s team was seven points ahead of Los Blancos thanks to goals from Yamal and Fermin Lopez, securing Barcelona’s 28th championship and completing an incredible domestic triple.
The only league that escaped an exciting young Barcelona team this season was the Champions League, which they won in Espanyol’s stadium for the second time in six years, much as in 2023.
Angry home fans had previously driven the joyous Barcelona players off the field, but this time Espanyol switched on the sprinklers to saturate the exuberant visitors, who hurried down the tunnel.
After 53 minutes of a fierce rivalry match, Yamal scored with a spectacular curling attempt, and Lopez added another in the 95th minute to seal the win.
“It’s time to celebrate,” said Flick, the coach of Barcelona, who also promised to expect much more from his club the next season.
“The desire to learn is ingrained in our DNA; it’s normal, and it’s essential that the players always strive to improve and have this hunger.”
Before the game, a vehicle crashed into a large throng outside the stadium, striking a number of Espanyol supporters. According to authorities, the incident seemed to be an accident, although no one was badly hurt.
Real Madrid defeated Mallorca in the 95th minute to postpone the inevitable, but Barcelona was only seconds away from winning the championship on Wednesday.
Espanyol, in 16th place, looked threatening on the counterattack and eager to ensure their survival in the top division as Flick’s team got off to a poor start in Cornella.
In Espanyol’s greatest opportunity of the first half, Javi Puado surged through on goal, but Wojciech Szczesny made a brilliant stop to keep him out.
Despite controlling the ball, Barca was unable to generate any clear chances throughout the first half.
With the championship on the line and a hostile crowd against them, the Catalan giants needed something exceptional to make an impression. This season, they have almost scored 100 goals in La Liga and have often blown opponents away.
Yamal, a 17-year-old wing wizard, replicated his goal for Spain against France in the Euro 2024 semi-finals by zipping inside off the right flank and launching a rocket into the top corner from beyond the box.
The youngster scored his eighth La Liga goal of the season, but he has a knack for big games, having scored goals in both games against rivals Real Madrid and the trip to Atletico Madrid.
“I’m at a loss for words regarding Lamine; he’s had an incredible season and scored a fantastic goal,” Lopez said.
Barca basically won the championship with their incredible performance in Sunday’s Clasico, defeating their opponents 4-3 in an exciting match.
However, they still needed to defeat their neighbors, and that was made simpler when Leandro Cabrera was sent off for elbowing Yamal in the stomach.
Despite having less players, Espanyol put a lot of pressure on Barcelona until Lopez beat Joan Garcia to break the home team’s defense.
As they celebrated the score, Espanyol supporters threw bottles at Barcelona players, but they didn’t care since the league’s youngest team won a championship that most people thought was at best implausible after Kylian Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid, last year’s winners.
It was obvious that we couldn’t rejoice on the field. “There was trouble two years ago,” Flick told reporters.
We naturally rejoiced in the dressing room because it’s important to show appreciation for the supporters here. The guys did a great job.
“I’ll stand in the background a little bit tomorrow, and I’ll like it too. I’ll like it when I see folks smiling and happy.”
