Barcelona defeated Espanyol 4-2 on Sunday to reclaim the La Liga championship from rival Real Madrid for the first time since 2019.
At the home of their neighbors, the Catalan giants won their 27th Spanish title, but things turned violent at the end as Barcelona players were escorted off the field by pitch invaders.
Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde also scored for Barcelona, along with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice for them. Late in the game, the hosts got two goals back through Javi Puado and Joselu.
Barcelona has had a difficult time lately, both on and off the field, but their victory today represents a huge turnaround, and coach Xavi Hernandez has won his first key title since taking over in November 2021.
Given the club’s precarious financial state, President Joan Laporta’s rebuild received harsh criticism last summer.
Although an early Champions League exit was disappointing, the club rebounded in January by winning the Spanish Super Cup and then clinching La Liga victory with four games remaining.
La Liga: Lewandowski gave Barcelona the advantage with a close-range goal
“It was a very emotional moment, a moment very hard not to celebrate after so many months of work,” said Xavi.
“We didn’t celebrate just because it was Espanyol’s stadium.”
The coach said that the victory was proof that the club was heading in the right direction.
“(It brings) a lot of calm, a lot of hope for the future,” said Xavi.
“I am very happy. We did a great job, a league won with four games remaining, that’s to the absolute merit of the team.”
Barcelona’s first team took the field with one goal in mind and the end in sight after Xavi made no unexpected lineup changes.
With four games left, they produced an electrifying performance, one of their best this season, to secure the victory and drop their city rivals to 19th place, four points from safety.
Lewandowski gave Barcelona the advantage with a close-range goal following a brilliant Alejandro Balde pass.
The second goal was scored by the left-back himself after Pedri scooped a pass to the back post where he pounced.
Before halftime, Raphinha sent the ball on a plate for Lewandowski to roll home, giving Barca their third goal.
The Catalans have reaped the rewards of the Polish striker’s arrival from Bayern Munich, who was an important component of the rebuilding effort last summer.
With Ousmane Dembele out for a significant portion of the season, Raphinha, who signed from Leeds, stood out against Espanyol with a spectacular performance.
“I am very happy and not just for myself, the whole team worked so hard,” said Raphinha.
“Only a few of us had won the league, it’s the first for a lot of players, it’s special. We worked so hard for this.”
