Barcelona secured their 29th Spanish league title on Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Real Madrid in El Clasico, sealing back-to-back La Liga crowns under Hansi Flick.
First-half goals from Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres settled the match at Camp Nou, moving Barcelona 14 points clear of second-placed Madrid with three games left to play. The result made the title mathematically certain and condemned Real Madrid to a trophyless season.
Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a superb free-kick, curling the ball into the top corner after Antonio Rudiger fouled Torres just outside the area. Torres doubled the lead in the 18th minute, finishing powerfully after Dani Olmo’s clever backheel split the Madrid defence.
Barcelona only needed to avoid defeat to retain the title, but Flick’s side played with urgency from the start and quickly took control. The win was especially emotional for Flick, who remained on the touchline despite the death of his father earlier in the day.
Madrid arrived at the Clasico in turmoil. Federico Valverde was ruled out with a head injury following a training-ground incident involving Aurelien Tchouameni, while Kylian Mbappe also missed the match through injury. Gonzalo Garcia started in attack and came close after breaking through Barcelona’s high defensive line, but Madrid struggled to turn possession into clear chances.
Jude Bellingham had the ball in the net after the break, but the effort was ruled out for offside. Vinicius Junior was denied by goalkeeper Joan Garcia, while Thibaut Courtois kept Madrid from conceding more with saves from Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.
The victory was celebrated by a 62,000-strong Camp Nou crowd, marking Barcelona’s first title-clinching Clasico at their reopened stadium. It was only the second time in La Liga history that the championship was decided directly by the result of a Clasico, after Real Madrid sealed the 1932 title following a draw with Barcelona.
For Barcelona, the result underlined their domestic dominance and kept alive the possibility of matching the league record of 100 points. For Real Madrid, it confirmed a bitter end to a troubled campaign and intensified questions about the club’s direction ahead of a likely summer rebuild.
