Barcelona emerge La Liga champions, Yamal scores winning goal in their 2-0 victory

Barcelona won the title with two rounds remaining

Barcelona: This was Lamine Yamal’s season. So it just had to be the teenage phenom who scored the decisive goal to clinch Barcelona’s 28th Spanish league title.

And what a goal it was for the player who still wears dental braces and sports a new dyed-blond hairdo. The 17-year-old struck the winner in Barcelona’s 2-0 victory at crosstown rival Espanyol on Thursday when he slid past two defenders outside the area and whipped one of his now trademark left-footed curlers into the corner of the net.

After helping Spain win the European Championship, Yamal excelled for Barcelona this campaign with his goals, dribbling, and playmaking as he confirmed his status as the next big star of global soccer.

“I always try my best and today I was lucky it went in,” Yamal said.

Fermín López ensured the win in stoppage time after Espanyol was reduced to 10 men in the 80th minute when Leandro Cabrera received a direct red for hitting Yamal in the stomach while disputing a ball.

Barcelona won the title with two rounds remaining. It completed a domestic double with the Copa del Rey title — a treble if you add the Spanish Super Cup — and reached the Champions League semifinals in a fantastic first season for coach Hansi Flick.

Flick’s team virtually ended Madrid’s title defense when it beat its top rival 4-3 on Sunday, making it four of four clasico victories across all competitions this season.

Madrid’s victory over Mallorca on Wednesday prevented Barcelona from winning the title without playing. But the Catalan club needed just two points from its final three games of the season. Barcelona’s players danced briefly on the field to celebrate while sprinklers doused them with water.