Barcelona. Watched by its grieving coach, Barcelona won its second straight Spanish league title and 29th overall with a comfortable 2-0 win over Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday, adding to its rival's troubled season.
Goals by Marcus Rashford in the ninth minute and Ferran Torres in the 18th gave Barcelona the victory and an insurmountable 14-point advantage over its fierce rival with three rounds remaining in La Liga.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was in the dugout for Sunday’s clasico following the death of his father, which Barcelona announced hours before kickoff. Players from both teams wore black armbands and there was a moment of silence before kickoff.
A draw would also have been enough for the Catalan club to seal its third league title in four seasons.
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Madrid, which remains the most successful club in the league with 36 trophies, is ending a second consecutive season without a major title. Sunday’s defeat at Barcelona capped an embarrassing week for Madrid, marked by altercations between players in training that led the club to fine Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni 500,000 euros ($589,000) each.
Rashford opened the scoring for the hosts with a wonderfully taken free kick, curling the ball over the wall and into the top corner. Torres added to the lead from inside the area after a flick from Dani Olmo.
‘This Is Like a Family’
Flick’s father reportedly died overnight. The coach celebrated Barcelona’s goals and looked emotional after 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 clasico against Real Madrid, to win La Liga.”
There was a brief scuffle between players in the 51st minute after Olmo confronted a Madrid player. Olmo was shown a yellow card.
Madrid’s Jude Bellingham had a goal disallowed for offside in the 63rd.
Brazil forward Raphinha replaced Rashford in the 64th to return from a long injury layoff.
Barcelona has been playing the final league games without the injured Lamine Yamal, its biggest star. Yamal was on the field lifting the trophy along with his teammates.
No Mbappé
Madrid was without the injured Kylian Mbappé, the league’s leading scorer with 24 goals. The France forward failed to recover from a left-hamstring ailment that has kept him sidelined since late April.
Mbappé last week addressed a fresh wave of criticism of him in Spain, insisting he was fully committed to the club and to recovering from his latest injury. Some Madrid fans had expressed concern that the France forward was saving himself for the upcoming World Cup. He posted a story during Sunday’s game while it was being shown on a television, along with supporting words for the club and a white heart.
Madrid was also without Valverde, who hurt his head in the altercation with Tchouaméni after allegedly accidentally knocking his head on a table. It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training last week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Yamal Takes the Lead
Lamine Yamal donned the No. 10 jersey once worn by Lionel Messi and took another step forward in his path to global stardom by helping to lead Barcelona to a second straight Spanish league title.
The 18-year-old Yamal, who is missing the last games of the season with a muscle injury, is set to star for Spain at the upcoming World Cup and currently leads Barcelona in both goals and assists for the first time.
Since his debut at age 15, Yamal has delivered performance after brilliant performance to earn the privilege of being considered Barcelona’s heir apparent to the one-and-only Messi.
Yamal leads Barcelona in scoring (jointly with Ferran Torres on 16 goals) and a competition-leading 11 assists in La Liga, despite missing some games with injury.
He also leads the league in dribbles with 133.
That increased output helped make up for the absence of Raphinha during two injury layoffs for the Brazil forward and the diminished role of veteran striker Robert Lewandowski, who at age 37 lost his first-choice status.
Beyond the numbers, his creativity with the ball and the fancy footwork, Yamal provided his contagious competitive attitude that never faded.
Pedri and Fermín Dictate the Pace
Barcelona again had the top midfield and used it to crush the competition.
It was leading the 20-team division both in scoring and defense with 91 goals scored and 31 conceded.
Barcelona Retains Spanish League Title by Beating Rival Real Madrid
Barcelona\'s Ferran Torres celebrates his side\'s second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Pedri González is only 23 but is playing like a veteran, setting the pace and delivering the key pass forward in the style of former Barcelona and Spain star Xavi Hernández.
Fermín López was targeted by Chelsea in last summer’s transfer window, but the 22-year-old stayed put and emerged as a key player for Flick. Fermín scored 13 goals and made nine assists.
Flick Fills the Gaps
Flick figured out how to make up for the loss of his most physical defender after Íñigo Martínez left for the Saudi Arabian league in the offseason. Few would have imagined that Gerard Martín, a young left back who had struggled at times in the previous campaign, would end up flourishing as a central defender alongside Pau Cubarsí, who at age 19 delivered another superb season anchoring the backline.
Flick also found ways to endure a spate of muscle injuries that sidelined Yamal, Raphinha, Jules Koundé, Frenkie de Jong and other key players for several weeks at a time.
The arrival of 'keeper Joan García shored up the goal, while the club overall got a boost by returning to partially refurbished Camp Nou after two years playing at a smaller stadium
Group Effort in Attack
With Flick often using Lewandowski as a substitute, the attack became a more collective effort.
Striker Ferran Torres used his greater mobility to link up well with Yamal and company and has scored 16 league goals, three more than Lewandowski. Marcus Rashford has contributed with eight goals — including the one on Sunday — and several assists as he adapts well to Barcelona while on loan from Manchester United.
That said, the club is reportedly looking to sign a striker this summer, putting the immediate future of both Lewandowski and Rashford in doubt.
Flick's father reportedly died overnight. The club did not give any additional details.
“FC Barcelona and the entire blaugrana family wish to send all our love to Hansi Flick after the passing of his father,” Barcelona said in a statement. “We share in your sorrow and our thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.”
Barcelona and Madrid players wore black armbands and there was a moment of silence before kickoff.
Barcelona entered the last clasico of the season leading Madrid by 11 points with four rounds remaining in La Liga. It comfortably defeated Madrid with first-half goals from Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres.
Barcelona Retains Spanish League Title by Beating Rival Real Madrid
Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa and Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick give instructions to the players during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
“Flick has been very important for us,” midfielder Frenkie de Jong said. "He has very clear ideas, but inside there is a lot of freedom for the players. This way we can show our quality.”
Barcelona players threw Flick up in the air during the title celebrations.
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