Barcelona Crowned La Liga Champions in Style as Teen Sensation Lamine Yamal Shines in The Derby
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Lamine Yamal! The 17-year-old wonderkid lit up the Catalan derby with a jaw-dropping screamer that helped Barcelona clinch their 28th La Liga title in a spicy 2-0 win over local rivals Espanyol. Talk about a script that writes itself, young blood, old rivalry, and silverware on enemy turf.
Again. Let’s be honest, this wasn’t just about winning a match, it was about making a statement. After Real Madrid tried to spoil the party by stealing three points with a last-gasp winner against Mallorca on Wednesday, the pressure was on. All eyes were on Barça as they walked into Espanyol’s Cornella fortress, a stadium dripping with hostility and bitter memories. Who could forget 2023, when celebrating Barça players were chased off the pitch by furious home fans? This year, the crowd got creative with sprinklers. Yes, they turned on the waterworks to rain on the parade.
But back to the real stars. Barça started slow. Espanyol, fighting for their lives in the 16th position, looked like the more urgent side in the first half. Wojciech Szczesny had to pull out a brilliant stop to deny Javi Puado, and for a moment, you could hear nervous murmurs from the visiting fans. Was this going to be another title delayed?
The wonder kid
The kid who’s barely old enough to vote decided he’d had enough. Just like his stunning strike for Spain against France in the Euros, he drifted in from the right and curled a missile into the top corner. Crowd silence. It was magic, pure, unfiltered football sorcery. His eighth league goal of the season, and let’s be real, probably the most iconic yet.
Even after Leandro Cabrera got sent off for elbowing Yamal, the teenager was causing that much trouble, Espanyol kept pushing. They weren’t going down without a fight. But then came the dagger in stoppage time. Fermin Lopez coolly slotted home the second, and that was that? Game over. Title won. Rivals silenced.
Chaos.
Espanyol fans started launching bottles as Barça celebrated. It was tense, it was wild, it was classic derby drama. But nothing could wipe the smiles off Barça’s faces, not the sprinklers, not the plastic missiles, not the bitterness. Hansi Flick’s young guns had done the impossible. A domestic treble in the bag. League, Super Cup, and Copa del Rey check, check, and check. Only the Champions League eluded them this time, but this team is far from done.
And Flick? Already setting the bar higher. “It’s in our DNA to want more,” he said post-match. “We’ll celebrate tonight, but next season, the hunger must grow.”
This wasn’t supposed to be Barça’s year. Real Madrid grabbed Kylian Mbappé and all the headlines last summer. But while Madrid flexed in the market, Barça built from within. The youngest squad in the league just grabbed the title. And Yamal? He’s not just the future. He’s the now.
By Yockshard Enyendi
