FC Barcelona sealed their 29th La Liga title in style on Sunday, defeating arch-rivals Real Madrid 2-0 at a packed Camp Nou to turn El Clasico into a championship celebration.
With three matches still remaining, Hansi Flick’s side moved to an unassailable 91 points — 14 clear of second-placed Real Madrid — capping off a dominant campaign in which Barcelona lost only four league games all season. Villarreal sit third with 69 points.
Barcelona struck early through Marcus Rashford, who silenced Real Madrid after just nine minutes. Following a foul by Antonio Rudiger on Ferran Torres outside the box, Rashford curled a stunning free-kick into the top-left corner beyond Thibaut Courtois.
The hosts doubled their lead nine minutes later. Fermin Lopez delivered a cross into the area before Dani Olmo produced a clever backheel into the path of Torres, who smashed a powerful finish into the roof of the net.
The triumph completed back-to-back league titles for Flick, who has transformed Barcelona since taking charge. It also added another major trophy to a campaign that already included the Copa del Rey.
Both teams entered the clash weakened by injuries and suspensions. Barcelona were without Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Jules Kounde from the starting lineup.
Real Madrid’s absentee list was even longer, with Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy, Arda Guler and Rodrygo all unavailable. Federico Valverde also missed out after reportedly suffering a head injury following a dressing-room altercation with Aurelien Tchouameni earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe was ruled out with a leg muscle injury, forcing manager Alvaro Arbeloa to rely on Vinicius Junior and academy striker Gonzalo in attack, supported by Jude Bellingham and Brahim Diaz.
Despite moments of pressure from Real Madrid, Barcelona remained the more dangerous side throughout. Courtois denied Torres and Rashford on several occasions, while goalkeeper Joan Garcia produced a fine stop to prevent Vinicius from pulling one back.
Bellingham briefly thought he had scored in the second half, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside. Real continued to push late on, but Barcelona comfortably saw out the victory before launching into title celebrations with their fans.
“This title is even more special because we won it at home against Real Madrid. Now it’s time to enjoy it with the fans,” Frenkie de Jong told Spanish broadcaster Movistar Plus.
“Every title has to be celebrated in style. Especially La Liga, which is a year-long competition. We’ve clearly been the best team in Spain.”
