Champions of Spain: Barcelona win the La Liga 2022-23
Barcelona won their first La Liga trophy since 2018-19 with four matches in hand after a sweet win at the home of city rivals Espanyol.
Barca took the 3-0 lead by half-time, Robert Lewandowski netting his 20th league goal of the season before Alejandro Balde, 19, doubled the score.
Barcelona crowned champions with four games in hand:
Lewandowski scored the third before Jules Kounde’s header made it 4-0. Espanyol did lower the deficit through Javier Puado and Joselu but stayed in trouble around the bottom of the table.
Barcelona secured 85 points, 14 more than closest rivals Real Madrid, with 12 points remaining to play for. It is their first La Liga trophy since the club’s best player Lionel Messi left in August 2021 and the first since Xavi was announced as the manager in November 2021.
Meanwhile, Espanyol is at risk of a second relegation in four years from La Liga after a ninth league loss in 11 matches. They are four points from safety with four games remaining.
Xavi balls in the first season:
Barcelona players must wait to get the award. Still, after the full-time, they enjoyed before suddenly retreating to the tunnel after Espanyol fans invaded the pitch.
Barca followed Real Madrid by three points after getting defeated 3-1 away on 16 October. They made a disheartening departure from the Champions League after losing three of their six group matches.
But Xavi, who won eight La Liga championships during an outstanding 17-year career playing in Barca’s team, has prevailed in his first entire season in charge.
It was a pretty emotional evening for skipper Sergio Busquets, who has confirmed he will not be a Barcelona player at the end of the season after 18 years at the club.
This is the 34-year-old’s ninth league trophy with the Blaugranas; the future looks promising for the club, with Balde and Kounde netting their first La Liga goals in Barcelona shirts.
Barcelona will not play in their Nou Camp stadium next season while it is redeveloped.
But fans will enjoy the team’s first major title since 2020-21 during their last two home matches – against Real Sociedad on Saturday and Mallorca on 28 May.
