Barcelona secure the 2024-25 La Liga title with two games to spare courtesy of their 2-0 victory over Espanyol in the Catalan derby on Thursday night.
Barcelona have secured the 2024-25 La Liga title with two games to spare courtesy of their 2-0 victory over Espanyol in the Catalan derby on Thursday night.
Hansi Flick‘s side were seconds away from being crowned champions without even taking to the field on Wednesday night, but Real Madrid managed to score a last-gasp winner against Mallorca to keep themselves in the title race.
It was therefore over to Barcelona to claim the victory that they required against Espanyol in order to secure the championship, and Lamine Yamal‘s stunner early in the second period sent the visitors on their way, before Fermin Lopez added a second late on.
Flick’s team have moved onto 85 points in the The Table Leagueseven points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, meaning that they cannot be caught at the summit, with just two rounds of matches left to be played.
As for Espanyol, the hosts, who had Leandro Cabrera sent off late on, remain 16th in the division, but they are five points clear of the relegation zone and therefore in a very strong position heading into their final two games of the campaign.
Barcelona have been the best side in La Liga this season by a distance, and it would have been a travesty if they had not been crowned Spanish champions considering the level of their performance throughout the campaign.
The Catalan outfit have not been perfect – far from it – but they have been a sensational watch, scoring 97 times in their 36 matches, which is 23 more than Real Madrid and some 37 more than Atletico Madrid in third.
Yamal, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski have all had standout campaigns in the final third of the field, and it is three trophies for Flick in his first season at the club, with the German also enjoying success in the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey.
The Champions League will be the big disappointment considering how close Barcelona were to making the final, but it has still been a glorious season for the club when taking into account how impressive Real Madrid were last term.
Barcelona ended the 2023-24 La Liga season in second, boasting 85 points, but they are set to improve on that this term, while their record now stands at 27 wins, four draws and five defeats from 36 matches.
Espanyol did their best to spoil the party on Thursday night, and the hosts deserve credit for their performance, but the title is heading back to Barcelona, with the Catalan giants crowned top-flight champions for the 28th time in their history.
Barcelona make the breakthrough in the 53rd minute of the contest, and the goal comes from Yamal, who works his way to the edge of the penalty box before curling one into the top corner – that is just absolutely outrageous from this sensational talent.
80th min: Leandro Cabrera (Espanyol) red card
Espanyol are reduced to 10 men in the 80th minute of the match, as Cabrera throws his arm into the body of Yamal; the referee is sent across to the monitor, and he produces a red card.
Barcelona double their advantage in the 96th minute and surely win the title, as Fermin fires into the bottom corner of the net following an excellent pass from Yamal; incredible scenes here.
Quite whether there has ever been a 17-year-old as good as Yamal in football history is an interesting debate, but one thing is for absolutely certain, the Spaniard is already one of the best players in the world, and he was again sensational on Thursday night.
Espanyol just could not live with the forward when he had possession, and his curling effort was absolute beauty.
Yamal had five shots, while he completed four dribbles and finished with a pass success rate of 81%, including a pass into Fermin to set up Barcelona’s second of the match in the final moments.
Possession: Espanyol 25%-75% Barcelona
Shots: Espanyol 9-12 Barcelona
Shots on target: Espanyol 1-4 Barcelona
Corners: Espanyol 3-3 Barcelona
Fouls: Espanyol 8-10 Barcelona
Barcelona’s penultimate match of what is now a title-winning campaign comes against Villarreal on Sunday night, before finishing their season with a clash against Basque outfit Athletic Bilbao on May 24.
Espanyol, meanwhile, will be aiming to avoid a fifth straight defeat when they travel to Osasuna on Sunday evening, before finishing their campaign with a home fixture against already-relegated Las Palmas on May 24.
