By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Barcelona have been crowned Spanish champions after beating Real Madrid 2-0 in the Clásico to move 14 points clear at the top with just three games to play.
Marcus Rashford opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a free kick that he fired into the far corner of the goal before Ferran Torres added to Barca’s tally in the first half.
The result marked just the second time in the history of LaLiga that the result of the Clásico has directly led to one of the two teams winning LaLiga.
The only previous time it happened was back in 1932, when a 2-2 draw between the sides enabled Madrid to clinch the title.
It is a victory that rubs salt in the wounds of a trophy-less Real Madrid side, who have lived through a week of chaos behind the scenes.
Kylian Mbappe, who was absent on the night, was at the heart of internal tensions before a training ground bust-up between Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde made international news.
Tchouameni was controversially handed a start by Alvaro Arbeloa, with Valverde absent, but it was as though Madrid’s fighting spirit had been reserved for their training ground as they wilted under pressure from Barca who retained their LaLiga crown.
Barca have been on a relentless run of form since February, and have won their past 11 consecutive matches.
They have lost just four league games all season and have a 100% winning La Liga home record.
Barcelona endured disappointment by exiting the Copa del Rey semi-finals and the Champions League quarter-finals, but have never relinquished their control of the La Liga title race.
Barca have won 42 of their 53 games this term, a win rate of 79% – only Bayern Munich (83%) can better that across all competitions among teams from the big five European leagues.
The title celebration carried deep personal emotion for Hansi Flick. The coach revealed after the match that he decided to manage the game despite learning earlier that morning that his father had passed away.
Even after receiving the heartbreaking news, the German manager chose to remain with the team for one of the most important matches of the season.
“My mother called me and told me that my father had passed away. I thought about whether I should stay away or speak with my players. I wanted to tell them because they are like my family,” explained Flick.
His words reflected the strong bond currently surrounding Barcelona, a club that not only reclaimed domestic dominance but is now fully focused on returning to the top of European football.