MADRID — Barcelona is celebrating successful the Spanish league - and this time with out Lionel Messi.

Barcelona lifted its first league trophy after Messi’s departure with a 4-2 victory at Espanyol on Sunday in a match marred by Espanyol followers storming the pitch on the finish of the sport and forcing Barcelona gamers to move for the locker room.

Robert Lewandowski scored twice to steer the Catalan membership to its first league title since 2019. The title was secured with 4 rounds remaining and two years after Messi left amid the membership’s monetary struggles.

The final time Barcelona had celebrated a league title with out Messi in its squad was again in 1998-99. He got here into the primary workforce in 2004-05 and received the title that season.

Celebrations on the sector have been short-lived Sunday as gamers needed to rush to the locker room after a big group of Espanyol followers from the extremely part behind one of many objectives began working towards Barcelona gamers singing and celebrating within the heart. Security guards rapidly intervened however riot police needed to stand in entrance of the tunnel’s entrance to forestall the followers from getting into. The supporters threw chairs and different objects.

Alejandro Balde and Jules Koundé additionally scored for Barcelona, which now has 27 league titles, eight fewer than Real Madrid. Third-place Atletico Madrid is 16 factors again after dropping 1-0 at last-place Elche earlier Sunday.

The victory over metropolis rival Espanyol gave Barcelona an insurmountable 85 factors from 34 matches, 14 factors greater than Madrid, which received 1-0 at Getafe on Saturday.

Barcelona has led because the thirteenth spherical and holds the league’s finest protection with 13 objectives conceded - 14 higher than every other membership. It additionally has 25 clear sheets.

“It’s a magnificent feeling, a feeling of job well done,” Barcelona coach Xavi stated. “This is important to give the club’s project some stability. The league title shows that things have been done the right way and that we have to stay on this path.”

Barcelona received eight league titles in 11 seasons by way of 2019. It completed second to Madrid in 2020, then third - behind Madrid and champion Atletico - in 2021. It was second to Madrid final season.

Barcelona’s first title with out Messi got here within the Spanish Super Cup in January.

The membership was but to win a serious trophy since president Joan Laporta took motion to restructure its debt and revamp the squad with gamers like Lewandowski, Jules Koundé and Raphinha. Laporta celebrated with the gamers within the locker room.

Lewandowski opened the scoring on Sunday from shut vary within the eleventh minute after a cross by Alejandro Balde. The 19-year-old left again added to the lead 9 minutes later off a go by Pedri, scoring his first league purpose with the membership.

Lewandowski, the league’s main scorer with 21 objectives, added his second within the fortieth after a low cross by Raphinha in a breakaway. Koundé scored the fourth within the 53rd with a header after an extended go by Frenkie de Jong. It was additionally his first league purpose with the membership.

The loss dealt a giant blow to Espanyol in its battle towards relegation. It stayed second-to-last, 4 factors from security.

Espanyol had received solely as soon as in its final 10 league matches, with a draw and eight losses. It was relegated in 2020 for the primary time in practically three many years, returning to the highest flight in its first try as second-division champion.

Javi Puado scored Espanyol’s first purpose within the 73rd and Joselu added the second in stoppage time as Barcelona gamers have been on the brink of have a good time.

It was the thirty second title with Barcelona for midfielder Sergio Busquets, who's leaving the membership on the finish of the season.

“I wanted to leave by winning an important title like the Spanish league and I’m happy that I was able to do it,” he stated.

ATLETICO LOSES

Atletico did not regain second place after the loss to already-relegated Elche.

That defeat additionally prevented Atletico from mathematically securing a spot in subsequent season’s Champions League, although it may well nonetheless do that by incomes a degree from its final 4 matches.

It was Atletico’s solely second loss in its final 16 league video games. The workforce’s different defeat was at Barcelona in April.

Forward Fidel scored within the forty first minute to present last-place Elche its fourth league win of the season.

VALLADOLID UPSET

Valladolid thought it had opened the scoring towards Sevilla when Sergio Escudero hit a strong long-range shot into the web, nevertheless it didn’t depend as a result of the referee had blown the whistle for halftime simply moments earlier.

Valladolid ended up dropping 3-0 as Rafa Mir, Papu Gómez and Tecatito Corona scored second-half objectives for Sevilla.

Valladolid gamers and coach Paulo Pezzolano rushed towards the referee to complain however there was nothing that could possibly be achieved. Pezzolano stated referee Ortiz Arias apologized to him throughout halftime.

Club president Ronaldo, the previous Brazil nice, stated “mistakes of this magnitude can change an entire season.”

Valladolid stayed in seventeenth place after the house loss to Tenth-place Sevilla, one level from the relegation zone.

RELEGATION FIGHT

Alberto Mari scored with a header within the 88th as Valencia beat Celta Vigo 2-1 to spice up its probabilities of avoiding relegation.

The consequence moved Valencia to 14th, three factors from the relegation zone with 4 matches remaining.

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