Espanyol 0 – 2 FC Barcelona
With two games to spare, Barcelona reclaimed the La Liga title just one season after losing it.
In the first half, Lamine Yamal looked far from his best—almost like a shadow of himself. But after the break, the young star delivered a sensational goal and later contributed to another, helping Barcelona secure the win over Espanyol and clinch the league title.
Hansi Flick’s side came out on top in the Catalan derby on Thursday night, winning 2-0 at Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium.
Espanyol were reduced to 10 men in the final 10 minutes. In stoppage time, substitute Fermín López sealed the result with the second goal.
Barcelona’s triumph marks their 28th La Liga crown, coming a season after losing the title to Real Madrid—who still hold the record with 36 championships.
Back in 2023, Barcelona had also clinched the title at the same venue, but that win sparked chaos when furious Espanyol fans stormed the pitch during the celebrations. This time, head coach Flick had urged his players to “celebrate modestly” before the match. Still, Rafinha and López couldn’t hold back completely and had minor scuffles with Espanyol players, though the situation was quickly diffused.
Flick has now led Barcelona to a domestic double in his debut season—winning both the Copa del Rey and La Liga. The German coach also added the Spanish Super Cup earlier in January, crushing Real Madrid in the final. The only setback was their Champions League exit in the semifinals.
Barcelona now sit at 85 points from 36 games (27 wins, 4 draws), with Real Madrid second on 78 points from the same number of matches.
Flick made three changes to the lineup from the thrilling 4-3 win over Real Madrid last Sunday. Robert Lewandowski returned to the starting XI after missing three La Liga matches due to injury.
Barcelona controlled possession early on, but Espanyol nearly scored in the 4th minute when Urko González failed to convert a golden chance, sending a low shot off target.
In the 7th minute, the referee paused the match suddenly. He was seen speaking with Espanyol’s goalkeeper and stadium security.
It was later confirmed that, before kickoff, a car had rammed into a crowd outside the stadium, injuring 13 people. The stadium announcer said: “Attention: The situation outside the stadium is under control and no one is seriously hurt,” prompting the referee to stop play briefly before resuming.
Barcelona’s first real chance came in the 13th minute. Lewandowski collected a loose ball near the box and beat one defender before blasting a powerful right-footed shot just wide of the far post.
In the 16th minute, goalkeeper Wojciech Stęcznśny came to Barcelona’s rescue. In a one-on-one, he dived to his left and deflected Javi Puado’s shot for a corner.
Both teams had a few half-chances but couldn’t convert before halftime.
Then in the 53rd minute, Yamal broke the deadlock with a stunning goal. He exchanged passes with Dani Olmo near the right edge of the box, dribbled past multiple defenders, and fired a powerful left-footed shot from 20 yards out. The ball soared into the top corner at the far post—unstoppable.
Espanyol’s night got worse in the 80th minute when defender Leandro Cabrera was shown a straight red card for punching Yamal in the stomach during a tussle for possession. The referee made the call after reviewing the incident on the VAR monitor.
Yamal had another attempt in the 86th minute after receiving a loose ball inside the box, but this time his shot lacked power and was easily saved.
In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Yamal set up substitute López, who doubled the lead and confirmed Barcelona’s championship win.
Barcelona remain unbeaten in 28 consecutive La Liga games against Espanyol (8 wins, 20 draws).
Espanyol are now 16th on the table with 39 points from 36 matches.
