Brilliant Barcelona win La Liga title with Espanyol battering
This derby match was a real battle in the early stages, but Barça still showed their superior quality.
In the 11th minute, Alejandro Balde blitzed past Oscar Gil and teed up Robert Lewandowski for a simple finish, as the striker became the first player to reach 20 goals in La Liga this season.
Balde then went from provider to scorer, getting the better of Gil again to reach Pedri’s looping cross and score the first goal of his career to silence the RCDE Stadium.
What started as a battle quickly grew more reminiscent of a boxer being pinned in the corner, as Lewandowski hit a pinpoint strike that Fernando Pacheco tipped past the post before Jules Kounde’s ambitious effort flashed wide.
Barça eventually cut through Los Periquitos again with ease, as Raphinha slid the ball across for Lewandowski to convert his second of the game.
The hosts momentarily emerged to create a chance of their own moments before the break, although the imperious Marc-Andre ter Stegen rushed out to stop Martin Braithwaite.
Espanyol initially emerged from the break defiantly after a double change from Luis Garcia, although it took a mere eight minutes for their defences to be breached as Frenkie de Jong picked out Kounde for the Frenchman to head in his first Barcelona goal.
With the Blaugrana readying their title party as they comfortably knocked the ball around, home supporters started to leave with those remaining despairing over their situation.
Javi Puado at least provided a sliver of joy for those who stayed, when he ran onto Fernando Calero’s pass and dinked his finish over Ter Stegen.
Even with Joselu instinctively finishing to make the score more respectable with the final kick of the game, Barcelona were the ones celebrating as they wrapped up their 27th Spanish league title with the fourth win from their last five games.
Espanyol’s situation couldn’t be a greater contrast, as Los Periquitos sit four points adrift of safety after losing nine of their last 11 matches.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
