Barcelona 2-0 Real Madrid: Barça champions as Clásico decides LaLiga for first time since 1932

The party didn’t stop there, either. Dani Olmo broke beyond the Real Madrid defence, delivering a sublime flick back into the path of Ferran Torres who thundered a stunning strike past Courtois to double Barça’s lead with just 18 minutes on the clock in Catalunya.

Real Madrid were not completely dead and buried though, and could have quickly halved the deficit when Gonzalo García struck the side netting before an Eric Garcia intervention was required to deny Vini Jr at the far post. The Brazilian had another fine chance just after the half-hour mark, cutting back for Aurélien Tchouaméni who shot wide of the target.

Hansi Flick’s Barça kept probing to extend their lead – and had it not been for a remarkable fingertip save from Courtois, they’d likely have done so when Torres and Rashford combined, allowing the Englishman to pick out the far post.

After a half-time show featuring a proposal and a performance from Catalan pop-rock band Lax’n’Busto, it didn’t take long at all for tempers to flare, with the first yellow cards of the evening shown to Raúl Asencio and Dani Olmo. Jude Bellingham followed soon after for dissent, although the England international had been clipped by Eric Garcia’s elbow inside the box.

The former Dortmund man had the ball in the back of the net just after the hour mark, too, but his celebrations were cut short as the flag was raised for an offside in the buildup. Real Madrid had been the better side since the break, as Barça sought to slow the game down to avoid a calamitous collapse in front of a 62,213-strong crowd.

But rather than moments of real quality, the dying stages were marked by a flurry of on-pitch tussles – including one that saw both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Raphinha receive bookings when the Brazilian tumbled to the ground after a shove from the ex-Liverpool defender.

The final whistle confirmed that Barcelona claim their 29th LaLiga title, with Hansi Flick becoming the fourth manager to guide Barça to back-to-back league trophies in his first two seasons since the turn of the century.

Barcelona analysis: Barça in dreamland as Clásico seals 29th title

It is fair to say that this has been a tumultuous season for Barcelona, who suffered a two-legged defeat to Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-finals before bowing out of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals against the same opponent.

But despite los Blancos moving five points clear in October, since returning to the Spotify Camp Nou, Hansi Flick’s men have remained consistent when their opposition have faltered – and now they have their reward with three games to spare.

The blaugrana could have been crowned as league champions a week ago, but Real Madrid’s victory against Espanyol delayed their celebrations for a week. It only made the trophy lift sweeter, though, with a well-oiled performance against their biggest rivals mathematically confirming them as the best team in LaLiga for the 29th time.

Hansi Flick knew that all his side had to do on Sunday was “take the final step”, and that is precisely what they did. While they needed only to avoid defeat against los Blancos, the blaugrana claimed the trophy in emphatic style with Marcus Rashford’s beautiful free-kick set to be played over and over in the streets of Barcelona in years to come.

For the first time in almost 100 years, a Clásico has decided the outcome of the LaLiga title fight – and for the first time in history, it has sent the silverware to Catalunya. Fireworks will illuminate the streets tonight, although the culers will first have to find a new spot to celebrate their triumph, with the usual Font de Canaletes meeting place currently in the midst of renovation works on La Rambla.

Real Madrid analysis: Madridistas keen to forget horrendous week

It has been a week to forget for Real Madrid, as widespread reports in the Spanish media began to give an insight into just how fractured the atmosphere is on the training ground and in the changing rooms.

As reported by The Athletic, Antonio Rüdiger and Álvaro Carreras came to blows during training before Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni clashed twice, with the second altercation leaving the Uruguayan unconscious and suffering from ‘cranioencephalic trauma’.

The details are reminiscent of a tussle on a school playground, and are certainly not what Real Madrid needed in the buildup to a Clásico that could see them confirm their biggest rivals as LaLiga champions.

Throw Kylian Mbappé’s controversial holiday with his partner during a period of recovery into the mix, and it appears that los Blancos have fallen into complete disarray. While it isn’t clear how many of the signatures represent genuine Real Madrid fans, an Mbappé Out petition has attracted upwards of 72 million signatures.

Álvaro Arbeloa – promoted from the reserve team after Xabi Alonso’s January sacking – hasn’t managed to win over his squad either.

Understandably, the Spaniard was quizzed about the week’s antics during his pre-match press conference. His explanations there weren’t particularly convincing, as he instead rambled about Craig Bellamy’s infamous scuffle with John Arne Riise in 2007 before insisting that he doesn’t work for the CIA so wouldn’t be pointing fingers at any of his players.

It’s widely understood that Arbeloa won’t be in charge of Real Madrid next season, with José Mourinho expected to take the reins – and it looks like the Special One will have his hands full as he attempts to return los Blancos to winning ways after two consecutive trophyless seasons.