Barcelona officially won La Liga in the sweetest way when defeating arch-rival Real Madrid 2-0 in the El Clasico match at Spotify Camp Nou.
The Catalan team only needed one point to take the throne, but they quickly affirmed their strength with an overwhelming performance right from the beginning of the match. In the 9th minute, Marcus Rashford opened the score with a classy free kick, making Thibaut Courtois completely helpless.
Less than 10 minutes later, Dani Olmo launched a delicate pass for Ferran Torres to finish and increase the score to 2-0. "Ole" shouts echoed throughout the stands as Barcelona widened the gap with Real Madrid to 14 points in the context of only three rounds left in the season.
This is also the first time in Barcelona's history that the Catalan team has officially won the La Liga championship thanks to the result of an El Clasico match.
Despite conceding 2 quick goals, Real Madrid still fought to the end. Gonzalo Garcia's ball went narrowly wide of the goal, while Jude Bellingham's goal was disallowed for offside. However, reality shows that Barcelona was the team that created more dangerous opportunities. Courtois had to continuously save against Rashford, Torres, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski to prevent the gap from getting bigger.
This championship is of special significance to coach Hansi Flick. The German strategist became the first coach to win La Liga for two consecutive seasons since Ernesto Valverde in 2018 and 2019.
However, Flick's coronation day was also filled with emotions when his father just passed away last weekend. The German coach announced the sad news to the team right before the El Clasico match but still decided to directly direct the coaching staff.
After the final whistle, Barcelona players continuously hugged Flick before throwing him into the air amidst the "champion" shouts echoing throughout Camp Nou stadium. In just 2 years, Flick completely changed the face of Barcelona. Under his leadership, the Catalan team won 6 out of the last 7 El Clasico matches and won five out of the last six domestic titles.
Barcelona and the entire Blaugrana family want to send our deepest condolences to coach Hansi Flick before that great loss. We understand this pain and will always accompany him and his family in the most difficult time" - Barcelona's homepage wrote.
Conversely, Real Madrid closed another disappointing season. Internal conflicts were pushed to a climax after a scuffle on the training ground between Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde before the match. The Royal team entered El Clasico with a series of important absences such as Kylian Mbappe, Valverde or Eder Militao. However, even with names like Vinicius Junior, Bellingham, Tchouameni or Antonio Rudiger in the squad, Real Madrid was still completely inferior to Barcelona.
Without Mbappe, Los Blancos' attack showed a lack of sharpness. Gonzalo Garcia was given the opportunity to start but could hardly create a significant impact. Meanwhile, Vinicius had a few notable moments but could not convert them into goals.
Real Madrid finished the match with only one clear chance and the expected goal difference (xG) was 0.79 - a figure showing the deadlock of the away team.
In the opposite direction, this victory continues to prove Flick's strong tactical imprint. Barcelona is still operating effectively despite the absence of many important stars such as Lamine Yamal or Raphinha who are not in the best physical condition.
Torres had a prominent match when he continuously put pressure on Real Madrid's defense, scored a goal and created many spaces for his teammates. Rashford also left a strong impression with a goal from a free kick - Barcelona's first goal from a direct free kick in an El Clasico match since Lionel Messi in 2012.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid will face a volatile summer. The 14-point gap with Barcelona shows the comprehensive defeat of the capital team this season.
Coach Alvaro Arbeloa is likely to leave the hot seat at the end of the season, in the context that Jose Mourinho is considered a bright candidate to take over the team.
After the match, Arbeloa admitted that Real Madrid needs a comprehensive change: "We need a more united team, a clearer orientation and must put common interests above all else. That is the starting point".
