BARCELONA, Spain: Lamine Yamal provided two assists and scored another as Barcelona edged closer to defending their La Liga title with a 4-1 win over Espanyol in a clash of neighbours early this morning.
Ferran Torres scored twice while Yamal and Marcus Rashford also found the target late in the match as the Catalan club moved nine points clear of nearest challengers Real Madrid.
Real were held to a 1-1 draw against Girona on Sunday and with seven games remaining, including El Clasico at Camp Nou next month, Hansi Flick’s men are now in a very comfortable position.
Barcelona will face Atletico Madrid early Wednesday in the Champions League quarter-finals, looking to bounce back from a 2-0 first-leg deficit, but Flick still fielded a strong starting lineup against Espanyol.
Midfielder Pedri Gonzalez and 18-year-old winger Yamal played throughout the match as Flick did not want the return leg to disrupt his team’s league campaign.
Flick stressed that he will not accept complacency from players even if they are in a strong position.
“Every match has to start with the right attitude and mentality, with quality alone you won’t win anything,” said the German coach.
“I’m sure we can win La Liga but it’s not over yet.”
After a good start to the season, Espanyol lost at home to Barcelona in the first match of 2026 and have failed to record a win since.
They barely put up any resistance as Flick’s team comfortably led by two goals.
Yamal created both of Torres’ goals, including a corner kick that the Spain international headed in for his first goal since January.
Although some thought Flick might rest Yamal ahead of the match against Atletico, the teenager always wanted to play and become a favorite of Barcelona fans.
Yamal’s assist for the second goal was quite impressive when he laid a beautiful ball to Torres before the striker’s attempt beat Marko Dmitrovic.
“You always hear things around you, more negative than positive… I always focus on myself and keep improving,” Torres told DAZN.