Yamal pearl seals Barcelona La Liga title triumph at Espanyol

Cornell de Llobregat, Spain: A stunning Lamine Yamal strike helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win at local rivals Espanyol on Thursday, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table.

Yamal´s effort and Fermin Lopez´s goal took Hansi Flick´s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona´s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble.

Only the Champions League escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol´s ground again just as in 2023. Back then, celebrating Barca players were chased from the field by angry home supporters but this time Espanyol turned on the sprinklers to soak the jubilant visitors, who headed down the tunnel quickly.

Yamal opened the scoring after 53 minutes of a tense derby clash with a brilliant curling effort, before Lopez added another in the 95th minute to secure victory. “You don´t win a league every day and you have to enjoy it and value it as it should be valued,” midfield star Pedri told Movistar.

“I think (Espanyol) here, knowing that we were playing for the title, are a team that when they sit deep and try to hit you on the counter, can do that well. “I´m happy because in the end we got the victory and won the league, and that´s what matters.”

Outside the stadium before the match several Espanyol fans were hit by a car which drove into a big crowd, although none were seriously injured and police said it appeared to be an accident.

Barcelona were seconds away from sealing their title triumph on Wednesday but Real Madrid snatched a 95th-minute winner against Mallorca to delay the inevitable. Flick´s side started slowly in Cornella, with Espanyol, 16th, looking dangerous on the counter-attack and keen to secure their top-flight survival.

Wojciech Szczesny made a fine save to deny Javi Puado who broke through on goal in Espanyol´s best chance of the opening period. Barca dominated the ball but failed to create any clear opportunities themselves in the first half.

The Catalan giants have often blown teams away this season, approaching a century of goals in La Liga, but with the title on the line and a hostile crowd against them, they needed something special to break through.

That came from 17-year-old wing wizard Yamal, who zipped inside off the right flank and unleashed a rocket into the top corner from outside the box, in a replica of his goal for Spain against France in the Euro 2024 semi-finals.

It was the teenager´s eighth La Liga strike of the season but with goals in both matches against rivals Real and also in the visit to face Atletico Madrid, he has a penchant for the big occasion.

Barca´s superb display in Sunday´s Clasico, in which they beat their rivals 4-3 in a thrilling battle, effectively won them the title. They still had to get it over the line against their neighbours, though, and that became easier when Leandro Cabrera was sent off for an elbow into Yamal´s stomach.

Even though they had a player fewer, Espanyol pressured Barcelona heavily until Lopez drilled past Joan Garcia to end the hosts´ resistance. Espanyol fans pelted Barcelona players with bottles as they celebrated the goal, but as the league´s youngest squad wrapped up a title that most believed was unlikely at best after Kylian Mbappe´s arrival at last year´s champions Real, they did not care.

Teenager Yamal the jewel in dominant Barca’s Liga crown

Ag AFP

At just 17 years old Lamine Yamal now has two La Liga titles to his name -- the same as Cristiano Ronaldo managed in nine years at Real Madrid.

While his participation in the first was limited to a single brief cameo as a record-breaking 15-year-old debutant, the winger has been a chief architect of Barcelona´s success this season. It was fitting he should make the breakthrough against Espanyol on Thursday with a sensational curling effort as Barca clinched the title.

Yamal´s breathtaking displays have brought a vibrancy and life back to Barcelona that had been lacking since the club´s biggest icon, Lionel Messi, departed in 2021. Former Barca coach Xavi Hernandez brought Yamal on for the final seven minutes of a win over Real Betis in April 2023 at the Camp Nou, as the Catalans went on to win the league for the first time since 2019.

It was a false dawn for a dutiful but dull Barca side, which ended the next season trophyless, precipitating Xavi´s exit. Real Madrid´s La Liga and Champions League double left Barcelona soul searching, with Yamal´s growth the only bright spot. By early 2024 the fast dribbling, immensely skillful winger had emerged as the team´s key attacker -- albeit one still lacking in consistency.