The season belonged to Lamine Yamal. So it was solely becoming that the 17-year-old phenom sealed Barcelona’s twenty eighth Spanish league title with a objective of pure artistry – a curling left-footed rocket that lit up the Catalan derby and topped a dominant home marketing campaign.
Wearing dental braces and a contemporary blond hairdo, Yamal slalomed previous two Espanyol defenders earlier than unleashing a signature strike from outdoors the field within the 53rd minute – a second of magic that set Barcelona en path to a 2-0 win on Thursday.
“Today it went in,” Yamal stated modestly. “I’m just happy I could help the team and celebrate it.”
It capped off a sensational season for the teenage sensation, who helped Spain raise the Euro trophy final summer time and has since dazzled in La Liga along with his objectives, dribbles, and dazzling imaginative and prescient.
Under Hansi Flick, Yamal flourished alongside stars like Pedri and Raphinha, reworking a once-stuttering staff into an untouchable drive.
Title run to recollect
The title was clinched with two rounds to spare, marking the membership’s first La Liga crown since 2023.
It additionally accomplished a home treble – Liga, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa – in Flick’s debut marketing campaign, with solely a gut-wrenching Champions League semifinal exit at Inter Milan denying them perfection.
Barcelona had all however ended Real Madrid’s title protection with a wild 4-3 win in El Clasico final weekend – their fourth straight victory over their fiercest rival throughout all competitions this season.
Madrid’s win over Mallorca on Wednesday delayed the title occasion, however Barca solely wanted two factors from their final three video games.
Fermin Lopez added a second in stoppage time, punishing an Espanyol aspect decreased to 10 males after Leandro Cabrera noticed purple for punching Yamal within the abdomen.
Flick’s contemporary blueprint
“Barcelona has to win titles – and three is really great,” Flick stated. “I suffered a bit after Milan, but the response was perfect. We brought in a positive attitude and played brave football.”
Yamal credited his German boss for respiratory new life into the squad: “We’re thankful to Xavi, but Flick gave us a new soul.”
Barcelona’s dominance in 2025 was near-total: 15 wins and two attracts in league play since January. Pedri, marking his two hundredth look at simply 22, praised Yamal’s surprise strike: “He hit two just like that in training today. We’re lucky to have him.”
Lionel Messi despatched his congratulations on Instagram. Even Real Madrid provided a uncommon salute on X. Barcelona’s followers flooded town’s core in jubilation as gamers danced beneath stadium sprinklers.
Derby drenched in emotion
Espanyol had its probabilities early. Urko Gonzalez missed narrowly on a breakaway, and Javi Puado fluffed a one-on-one towards Wojciech Szczesny. The hosts, sitting sixteenth and nonetheless preventing to keep away from relegation, couldn’t get well after Yamal’s stunner.
In an unsettling second, play was briefly paused after a automobile plowed right into a crowd outdoors RCDE Stadium. Authorities confirmed the incident was unintended, with no connection to the match.
Espanyol keeper Joan Garcia – rumored to be on Barca’s summer time radar – dove in useless for Yamal’s shot. He could be teammates with {the teenager} subsequent season.
Elsewhere, Athletic Bilbao clinched a Champions League berth after a 2-0 win at Getafe. Atletico Madrid slumped 2-0 at Osasuna, whereas Real Betis dropped factors in a 2-2 draw with Rayo Vallecano, hurting their possibilities of a top-five end.
Source: www.dailysabah.com