“Barcelona are La Liga champions for the 28th time after a 2-0 victory at city rivals Espanyol took the title away from defending champions Real Madrid. Lamine Yamal curled in a fine effort in the 53rd minute to set Barca on the way to the title before Fermin Lopez wrapped up the win following Yamal’s assist in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time. It crowns a transformational season under new coach Hansi Flick, who arrived last summer to little fanfare but has given a young group of players a clear, exciting new direction. Flick’s team already lifted the Copa del Rey in a heated final against Madrid last month and thrashed their arch-rivals 5-2 to lift the Supercopa de Espana in January. They have four wins over their Clasico rivals in a single season for only the second time ever and the first since the early 1980s. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)