BARCELONA, Spain — Barcelona clinched the 2025–26 La Liga title on Sunday after defeating Real Madrid 2-0 at Camp Nou, securing an insurmountable 14-point lead with three matches remaining in the season.
Marcus Rashford scored in the ninth minute and Ferran Torres added another goal in the 18th minute as Barcelona won its 29th Spanish league championship and second consecutive league title.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick managed the match hours after the club announced the death of his father. Players from both teams wore black armbands, and officials held a moment of silence before kickoff.
A draw would have been enough for Barcelona to secure the title, but the club sealed the championship with its 11th consecutive league victory.
“I will never forget this day,” Flick said after the match. “It was a tough day for me.”
Rashford opened the scoring with a free kick that cleared the wall and entered the top corner of the net. Torres doubled the lead after receiving a pass from Dani Olmo inside the penalty area.
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham had a goal ruled offside in the 63rd minute.
Barcelona played without injured forward Lamine Yamal, though he joined teammates on the field during the trophy presentation. Brazil forward Raphinha returned from injury as a second-half substitute.
The defeat extended Real Madrid’s title drought to two seasons. Madrid, which holds a record 36 La Liga championships, also finished the season without a major trophy.
The club entered the match following reports of altercations between players during training sessions. Reports said the club fined Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni after an incident earlier in the week.
Real Madrid also played without injured forward Kylian Mbappé, who has missed matches since late April with a hamstring injury. Mbappé leads La Liga scorers with 24 goals.
Coach Álvaro Arbeloa acknowledged supporters’ frustration after the loss.
“We understand how frustrated and dissatisfied the fans must be,” Arbeloa said. “The only thing we can do is work and look to the future.”
In another La Liga match on Sunday, Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams left his team’s 1-0 loss to Valencia in the first half because of an apparent hamstring injury. Athletic Bilbao did not immediately release details about the injury.
