FC Barcelona clinch their 28th La Liga title with win over Espanyol

Barcelona: FC Barcelona have clinched their 28th La Liga title after a 2-0 win against Espanyol. The La Liga crown can now be added to the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey.

The 2024/25 season saw Barca winning their 28th league title, their 32nd Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, an unprecedented domestic treble.

The home side put up an impressive fight and Barca were far from their best, but an absolute stunner from Lamine Yamal in the 53rd minute and a second in the dying seconds of injury time from Fermin Lopez split the teams and sparked jubilation across the blaugrana universe.

Lamine Yamal scored the opener eight minutes into the second half with a trademark spectacular effort, cutting in from the wing and curling a shot into the far corner.

Espanyol defender Luis Cabrera was sent off 10 minutes from time after the VAR deemed his swinging arm into Yamal’s stomach merited a direct red card.

Fermin Lopez sealed the win with Barca’s second of the night, five minutes into injury time.

The win leaves Barcelona with 85 points, seven more than its closest rival Real Madrid, with just six points left to play for this season.

Elsewhere, Second-half goals from Gorka Guruzeta and Dani Vivian saw Athletic Bilbao win 2-0 at Getafe to ensure a place in next season’s Champions League. The result keeps the Basque side in fourth place, three points clear of Villarreal.

A scrappy game opened up when Oihan Sancet came on as a second-half substitute for Athletic in the second half, with Guruzeta scoring from outside the area after 76 minutes and Vivian prodding home following a corner a minute from time.

The defeat means Getafe is still in slight danger of relegation after six consecutive defeats.

Third-placed Atletico Madrid returned to its Jekyll and Hyde form, as Diego Simeone’s side lost 2-0 away to Osasuna.

Alejandro Catena’s first-half opener and a late goal from Ante Budimir – taking his total for the season to 20 in La Liga – kept Osasuna in the battle to qualify for Europe next season, while Atletico paid for some poor finishing after having as many chances as its rival.

Rayo Vallecano remains eighth while Real Betis sealed sixth place after a 2-2 draw in Vallecas, which will leave both sides dissatisfied with the result.

Javi de Frutos’ powerful free kick and Florian Lejeune’s goal in injury-time put Rayo 2-0 up at the break, but Betis saved a point with second-half strikes from Cucho Hernandez and a penalty from Isco.

IANS