Barcelona beat Espanyol 4-1 in Catalan derby, extend La Liga lead
The hosts took an early lead in the 9th minute when Ferran Torres headed home a pinpoint corner from Lamine Yamal.
KATHMANDU: FC Barcelona delivered a dominant performance to defeat RCD Espanyol 4-1 in the Catalan derby, strengthening their grip at the top of La Liga.
The hosts took an early lead in the 9th minute when Ferran Torres headed home a pinpoint corner from Lamine Yamal.
Torres doubled the advantage in the 25th minute, calmly dribbling past goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović to score his second of the match.
Yamal, aged just 18 years and 272 days, made history by becoming Barcelona’s youngest player to reach 100 appearances. The teenage sensation capped a brilliant display with one goal and two assists.
Espanyol pulled one back in the 56th minute after a defensive error from Eric García allowed Pol Lozano to score. However, Barcelona sealed the victory late on with two quick goals — Yamal netting into an open goal in the 87th minute, followed by a stunning volley from Marcus Rashford in the 89th.
With seven matches remaining, Barcelona now hold a commanding nine-point lead over Real Madrid and are firmly on course to defend their title under coach Hansi Flick.
Barcelona will next turn their attention to the UEFA Champions League, where they face Atlético Madrid in the second leg on Tuesday, trailing 2-0 from the first leg.
Meanwhile, Espanyol’s struggles continue, with the team now winless in 14 consecutive league matches, although they remain 10th in the standings.
