Yamal shines, Barcelona inches closer to La Liga 2025/26 title

(Football result) - Barcelona showcased superior power by beating Espanyol 4-1 in La Liga's round 31, thus establishing a 9-point lead over Real Madrid and nearing the league title.

Early morning on April 12 (Vietnam time), Barcelona hosted Espanyol at Camp Nou stadium, within the framework of La Liga 2025/26's 31st round.

From the very first minutes, Barcelona quickly imposed their game with superior ball control. After several consecutive threatening attacks, the home team solidified their advantage in the 9th minute when Ferran Torres leaped high to head accurately from a corner kick executed by Lamine Yamal, opening the match's score.

The early goal helped Barcelona play even more confidently. In the 25th minute, it was again the combination between Yamal and Torres that brought the second goal to widen the gap. This time, Yamal assisted Torres to finish neatly inside the penalty area, raising the score to 2-0 before the first half concluded.

In the second half, Espanyol surged strongly and scored a goal to narrow the gap in the 56th minute thanks to Pol Lozano following a rebound situation inside the box. However, that was all the visiting team could achieve against continuous pressure from Barcelona.

The Camp Nou hosts quickly re-established their dominant game. In the 87th minute, young talent Lamine Yamal utilized a rebound situation to easily tap the ball into the empty net, raising the score to 3-1. Just two minutes later, Marcus Rashford (substituted from the bench) made his mark with a tricky one-touch finish after Frenkie de Jong's assist, sealing a 4-1 victory for Barcelona.

The remaining minutes saw Espanyol striving to find a consolation goal but failing against the solid defense of the home team. Ultimately, Barcelona secured a convincing 4-1 win.

With this result, Barcelona has widened the gap with Real Madrid to 9 points on the standings, with only 7 rounds remaining in the season. This is a tremendous advantage, helping the coach and his team move closer than ever to this season's La Liga championship, even suggesting they have one hand on the crown.

Watch live Barca vs Espanyol where?

• Time: 23:00 on April 11.
• Location: Camp Nou Stadium.
• Competition: La Liga Round 31.
• Live broadcast: SCTV and SCTVOnline app.

Squad information Barca vs Espanyol

• Barca:Bernal, Raphinha, Christensen injured.
• Espanyol:Puado, Riedel injured.

Expected lineup for Barca vs Espanyol

• Barca:Joan Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Balde; Eric Garcia, Gavi; Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo; Ferran Torres.
• Espanyol:Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero; Ngonge, Gonzalez, Milla, Lozano, Dolan; Fernandez.