FC Barcelona – Real Madrid
2-0
FC Barcelona remains the King of Spain. The Catalan giant clinched their 29th Liga title on Sunday by defeating Real Madrid 2-0 in the Clasico, further asserting their current dominance over their eternal rival, condemning them to a trophyless season.
The celebration was complete on the Camp Nou field, which hosted a Clasico for the first time in three years (due to construction work). A draw would have been enough in theory for the Catalans, Liga leaders with an 11-point lead – now 14 – to secure their second consecutive title and plunge their eternal Madrid rivals into an endless crisis. Hansi Flick’s men, who had suffered the loss of his father just a few hours earlier but still present on the sidelines, settled the matter in less than twenty minutes, leaving no hope for the Merengues.
Crisis deepens at Real
In the absence of the Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, sidelined with hamstring injury, English winger Marcus Rashford ignited the Barcelona fireworks with a stunning free-kick into the top corner (1-0, 9th minute). Spanish striker Ferran Torres, preferred to Robert Lewandowski, extended the lead after a brilliant flick by Dani Olmo (2-0, 19th minute).
They had a promising start under Xabi Alonso’s guidance, now replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa, who also found no solution to the fundamental issues of a “galactic” squad poorly built and too reliant on the individual exploits of their stars to rival the collective strength of Barcelona.
Aim for 100 points
Boosted by the unstoppable Kylian Mbappé, absent on Sunday due to a hamstring injury, Real even had a five-point lead over their eternal rivals after their victory in the first leg (2-1). However, the momentum completely shifted thereafter: the Merengues only amassed 47 points out of 72, while Barcelona collected 66.
The Blaugranas have nearly had a flawless run since their defeat at the Bernabeu in October, with 23 victories and only two losses, while the Merengues have had multiple setbacks and heavy defeats (against Celta Vigo, Getafe, Mallorca, Osasuna…). FC Barcelona will now play the final three matchdays aiming to reach the symbolic mark of 100 points, a feat achieved only twice before, by Real in 2011-12 and by Barcelona themselves the following season.
