Barcelona secured their 28th La Liga title in emphatic fashion as 17-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal delivered another breathtaking goal during a derby victory over Espanyol.
Yamal sealed the title with a brilliant curling effort into the top left corner from the edge of the box, cementing Barça’s status as champions with two games remaining and an unassailable seven-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid.
Fermín López added a second deep into stoppage time, finishing off a pass from Yamal to seal the win.
The match was temporarily halted in the first half after reports emerged of a car plowing into fans outside the stadium, injuring 13 people. Four were hospitalized, though none sustained serious injuries. Play resumed shortly afterward.
Yamal’s goal in the 53rd minute was his 17th of the season, reinforcing his status as one of the brightest young talents in world football. Espanyol’s Leandro Cabrera was shown a red card in the 80th minute after striking Yamal during a challenge.
This league triumph completes a domestic treble for Barcelona under new head coach Hansi Flick, having already lifted the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup. Remarkably, they defeated Real Madrid in all four El Clásico clashes this season, including both domestic finals.
“We always stayed positive. At Barça, the expectation is to win titles – and securing three is fantastic,” Flick told Movistar Plus. “The players pushed themselves to the limit and kept improving throughout the season.”
Barcelona also reached the Champions League semi-finals, where they narrowly lost to Inter Milan. Across all competitions, they scored an impressive 169 goals, underlining their dominance.
The title could have been confirmed a day earlier, but Real Madrid’s late win over Mallorca delayed celebrations. Barça needed a win at Espanyol to clinch the title outright—and overcame some nervy moments, including missed chances by Urko González and Javi Puado.
Yamal’s clinical strike, following Dani Olmo’s pass, proved decisive once again. He later set up López’s deflected goal just before the final whistle.
Interestingly, this is not the first time Barcelona have been crowned champions on Espanyol’s ground—they also did so in 2023 and indirectly in 2013. Since the 1990s, the Nou Camp has only hosted two of their La Liga title celebrations.
As the final whistle blew, minor tensions flared between players, and stadium staff turned on the sprinklers in an attempt to usher Barça off the pitch. A similar scene unfolded two years ago when Espanyol fans invaded the field.
Barcelona will celebrate with an open-top bus parade on Friday, followed by receiving the La Liga trophy during Sunday’s home fixture against Villarreal at 18:00 BST.
