Yamal shines, as Barca tightens grip on title with Espanyol rout

BARCELONA — Lamine Yamal set up two goals and scored another, as Barcelona took a significant step toward defending its La Liga title with a 4-1 derby win over Espanyol on Saturday.

Ferran Torres netted twice, with Yamal and Marcus Rashford finding the net late on, as the Catalans moved nine points clear of second-placed rival Real Madrid.

Real drew 1-1 against Girona on Friday, and with seven games remaining, one of which is a Clasico at Camp Nou in May, Hansi Flick's side has a commanding lead.

Barca faces Atletico Madrid on Tuesday in the Champions League quarterfinals, aiming to fight back from a 2-0 first-leg defeat, but the coach still picked a strong side against Espanyol.

Midfielder Pedri and 18-year-old winger Yamal played the full match, as Flick tried not to let the second leg disrupt the team's flourishing league campaign.

Flick said he would not accept his team slacking off, despite its strong position in the league.

"Every game has to start with the right attitude and right mentality, with only quality, you will win nothing," said the German coach.

"I'm positive we can win La Liga, but it's not done."

After a strong start to the season, Espanyol was beaten at home by Barca in the first game of 2026 and has failed to win a match since.

It offered little resistance, as Flick's side cruised into a two-goal lead.

Yamal created both goals for Torres, whipping in a corner which the Spain international nodded home for his first goal since January.

Although some wondered if Flick would rest Yamal for Tuesday's visit to face Atletico, the teenager is always keen to play, and Barca fans adore watching him.

Yamal's assist for the second goal was sumptuous, playing Torres through with the outside of his boot for the striker to shoot past Marko Dmitrovic and into the net.

"You always hear noise around you, more for the bad things than for the good," Torres told DAZN.

"I am always focused on myself, on improving."

Espanyol came close to scoring when Tyrhys Dolan's chipped effort clipped the top of the crossbar, but Barca mostly had its Catalan rival pinned back in its own territory.

Yamal curled a freekick narrowly over the crossbar, and Dmitrovic made a good double save to keep both Fermin Lopez and Eric Garcia at bay.

'Small errors killed us'

Barcelona thought it had extended its lead early in the second half when Torres stabbed home Garcia's goal-bound header, but it was ruled out for a tight offside against the defender.

Espanyol pulled one back through Pol Lozano immediately afterwards with a rasping effort, after Barca struggled to clear the ball.

"Small errors killed us, but we have to be proud of the work we did," said Lozano after the game.

"We're getting better, and sooner rather than later the victory will come."

Substitute Rashford could have scored an earlier third for Barca, but the England international seemed to lack confidence as he delayed his shot before firing straight at Dmitrovic.

The winger missed several chances against Atletico in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal, but by the end of the Espanyol game, he had found the net and will look to continue doing so at the Metropolitano on Tuesday.

Yamal notched Barca's third on Saturday in the 87th minute by charging down a loose ball, which rebounded beyond Dmitrovic, leaving him with a tap-in.

Two minutes later, Rashford hooked home the fourth with a volley from fellow sub Frenkie de Jong's cross, with the Dutch midfielder making his first appearance since suffering a hamstring injury in February.

Barca fans stayed in the stadium after the final whistle to celebrate with the players and try to inspire them ahead of their visit to Atletico.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone rotated his team heavily for its visit to face Sevilla to keep players fresh, but his side fell to a 2-1 defeat.

Akor Adams put the host ahead from the penalty spot, and after 20-year-old Atletico reserve defender Javier Bonar leveled, Nemanja Gudelj struck Sevilla's winner before the interval.