Watched by a grieving head coach, Barcelona secured its second consecutive Spanish league title and 29th overall on Sunday, defeating Real Madrid 2-0 at Camp Nou to deepen their rivals’ troubled campaign.
Marcus Rashford opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a brilliantly curled free kick into the top corner, and Ferran Torres doubled the lead in the 18th minute after a clever flick from Dani Olmo. The win gave Barcelona an insurmountable 14-point advantage over their fierce rivals with three matches left in La Liga.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was on the touchline for Sunday’s clasico just hours after the club announced the death of his father. Players from both sides wore black armbands and observed a moment of silence before kickoff. A draw would have been enough for the Catalan side to clinch the league, but the victory sealed their third title in four seasons.
Real Madrid, the league’s most decorated club with 36 titles, is finishing a second straight season without a major trophy.
Sunday’s loss capped a difficult week for Madrid, which was marred by altercations between players during training. The club fined Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni €500,000 ($589,000) each following the incidents.
Rashford’s early free kick set the tone before Torres added the second. Flick celebrated both goals and appeared emotional at the final whistle.
“I will never forget this day. It was a tough day for me. It starts with this (news that) my father passed away, but here, my team is fantastic,” Flick said. “I really love it, this is like a family and they gave everything today and I’m really proud. It’s amazing, in this stadium, and also in the clásico against Real Madrid, to win La Liga.”
A brief scuffle broke out in the 51st minute after Olmo confronted a Madrid player, resulting in a yellow card for the Barcelona midfielder. Jude Bellingham had a goal disallowed for offside in the 63rd minute.
Brazil forward Raphinha replaced Rashford in the 64th minute, returning from a long injury layoff. Barcelona has been playing without injured star Lamine Yamal in recent league games, though he was on the field lifting the trophy alongside teammates.
Madrid was missing Kylian Mbappé, the league’s top scorer with 24 goals, due to a left hamstring injury that has sidelined him since late April. Mbappé recently addressed criticism in Spain, insisting he remains fully committed to the club. Some Madrid fans worried he was saving himself for the upcoming World Cup; he posted a supportive story during Sunday’s match on television.
Madrid also played without Valverde, who suffered a head injury in the training altercation with Tchouameni after reportedly knocking his head on a table. Another training incident involved defender Alvaro Carreras, who confirmed a “minor” altercation with a teammate, and Spanish media reported he and Antonio Rudiger also clashed.
The clasico defeat is expected to heighten criticism of coach Alvaro Arbeloa, who was promoted from Madrid’s reserve team after Xabi Alonso was fired in January.
