FC Barcelona have won their maiden La Liga title under Xavi Hernandez, and a first for the club in four years, after beating cross-town rivals Espanyol away on Sunday evening in Spain.
The Catalans achieved this feat with four matchdays to spare, seeing off their opposition 4-2 at the RCDE Stadium with a first half brace from Lewandowski and a goal each by defenders Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde.
At full time, Barca’s players had to flee the pitch as angry Espanyol fans made their way onto the pitch and tried to attack them.
Back stage, however, after the dust had settled, a clearly happy president Joan Laporta beamed regarding a “Sunday of joy for all Barca fans to celebrate”.
“I hope it’s the first of many titles. We have saved the club financially and we have brought joy back to Barcelona. And now we begin to win important titles that we hope will be the beginning of a splendid era,” Laporta added.
Yet while Barca will go into the 2023/2024 season as defending champions, Laporta and Co have work to do this summer.
The team’s slump in the business end of the season after amassing a considerable points lead over other title race contenders highlighted a need to make reinforcements if they want to retain the title this time next year.
