BARCA BACK TO GLORY

Barcelona is celebrating winning the Spanish league — and this time without Lionel Messi. Barca lifted its first league trophy since Messi's departure with a 4-2 victory at local rival Espanyol on Sunday. Espanyol fans stormed the pitch at the end of the game and forced Barcelona players to flee for the locker room.

Robert Lewandowski scored twice to lead the Catalan club to its first league title since 2019. The title was secured with four matches remaining and two years after Messi left amid the club's financial struggles.

The last time Barcelona had celebrated a league title without Messi in its squad was back in 1998-99. He came into the first team in 2004-05 and won the title that season.

Celebrations on the field were short-lived on Sunday as players had to rush to the locker room after a large group of Espanyol fans from the ultra section behind one of the goals started running toward Barcelona players who were singing and celebrating in the center of the pitch. Security guards quickly intervened but riot police had to stand in front of the tunnel's entrance to prevent the fans from going in. The supporters threw chairs and other objects.

Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde also scored for Barcelona, which now has 27 league titles, eight fewer than Real Madrid. Third-place Atletico Madrid is 16 points back after losing 1-0 at last-place Elche earlier on Sunday.

The victory over city rival Espanyol gave Barcelona an insurmountable 85 points from 34 matches, 14 points more than Madrid, which won 1-0 at Getafe on Saturday.

Barcelona has led since the 13th round and boasts the league's best defense with 13 goals conceded — 14 better than any other club. It also has 25 clean sheets.

"It's a magnificent feeling, a feeling of job well done," Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said. "This is important to give the club's project some stability. The league title shows that things have been done the right way and that we have to stay on this path.

"We are left with a magnificent feeling, more than 10 months of work, of sacrifice. It has been an extraordinary job," Xavi added.

"For the fans, for the club, winning it was vital for the stability of the project, we must continue on this path. This league (title) means that we are doing things very well, this gives us stability, although we still have the unfinished business of European competition."

Barcelona won eight league titles in 11 seasons through 2019. It finished second to Madrid in 2020, then third — behind Madrid and champion Atletico — in 2021. It was second to Madrid last season.

Barcelona's first title without Messi came in the Spanish Super Cup in January.

The club was yet to win a major trophy since president Joan Laporta took action to restructure its debt and revamp the squad with players like Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha. Laporta celebrated with the players in the locker room.

Xavi said he had felt the pressure and was glad of the support from his family.

"I thought about my wife, my parents, my brothers and sisters... the staff, who have suffered a lot, those who never fail," Xavi said.

"We are in Spain and here criticism is normal, it happened to me when I was a player, but I am very stubborn and in the end the reward comes when there is good work."

Lewandowski opened the scoring on Sunday from close range in the 11th minute after a cross by Alejandro Balde. The 19-year-old added to the lead nine minutes later off a pass by Pedri, scoring his first league goal with the club.

Lewandowski, the league's leading scorer with 21 goals, added his second in the 40th after a low cross by Raphinha in a breakaway. Kounde scored the fourth in the 53rd with a header after a long pass by Frenkie de Jong. It was also his first league goal with the club.

The loss dealt a big blow to Espanyol in its fight against relegation. It stayed second-to-last, four points from safety.

Espanyol had won only once in its last 10 league matches, with a draw and eight losses. It was relegated in 2020 for the first time in nearly three decades, returning to the top flight in its first attempt as second-division champion.

Javi Puado scored Espanyol's first goal in the 73rd and Joselu added the second in stoppage time as Barcelona players were getting ready to celebrate.

It was the 32nd title with Barcelona for midfielder Sergio Busquets, who is leaving the club at the end of the season.

"I wanted to leave by winning an important title like the Spanish league and I'm happy that I was able to do it," he said.

Agencies Via Xinhua