Madrid: Real Madrid won the La Liga on Friday, with one match in hand in the season, after handing Villareal 2-1 defeat at home. This was Real Madrid's 34th La Liga title, 8 more than Barcelona's 26. Veteran striker Karim Benzema provided Real Madrid with a lead in the first half and then doubled the tally from the penalty spot.
Villareal fought back with a late goal and gave Real Madrid some tough time. They even came close to equalising in the second half with a flurry of chances, but Los Blancos goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois showed great determination under the bar to keep Real Madrid in the lead.
Marco Asensio had a goal disallowed in stoppage time but Zinedine Zidane’s team held on to seal a win that gave them an unassailable seven points lead over Barcelona on the points table.
Barcelona lost at home against a 10-man Osasuna side, who scored in the second-half injury time to secure a thrilling 2-1 win. Lionel Messi equalised in the second half after Jose Arnaiz scored an early goal, but Roberto Torres scored a late winner to dash Barcelona’s title hopes.
This was Real Madrid's first league title since the 2016-17 season, and the second under the stewardship of manager Zidane. Just like in 2017, the Madrid side has managed to prevent arch-rivals Barcelone from completing a hat-trick of league titles.
This was, meanwhile, Real Madrid's 10th victory on the trot. They have won every match since the league restarted after the forced break due to the coronavirus pandemic.
