Real Madrid officially clinched their 34th league title this Thursday, ending a drought that lasted since 2017. Their success is rooted in a perfect streak of victories following the COVID-19 break, most recently evidenced by a 2-1 win over Villarreal. This result leaves them seven points ahead of Barcelona with a game in hand. In contrast, Barcelona's title hopes vanished after a home defeat to an Osasuna team that played with only 10 men. Since football returned in June, Zidane's squad has maintained a perfect record, winning all 10 of their outings.
The decisive match saw Karim Benzema net two goals, sealing the tenth consecutive league win for Real Madrid. It's a remarkable turnaround considering that before the pandemic shutdown, they actually trailed the defending champions, Barcelona, by two points. Zidane's squad distinguished themselves as the only team to achieve a 100% win rate upon the league's return. Although the trophy was lifted in a silent stadium of 6,000 empty seats, the mood was electric. The players celebrated their first title since 2017 by wearing special 'Campeones 34' shirts during the trophy presentation.
Real Madrid was crowned as the champions in a stadium of 6,000 empty seats, their first title since 2017. Yet, that did not stop the Los Blancos men from celebrating the occasion as they pulled on their shirts with “Campeones 34” imprinted on the back before lifting the trophy in the festivity.
When interviewed after the victory, an elated Zidane admitted that this win felt even more rewarding than a Champions League title, citing the grueling, sustained effort required to win La Liga. He expressed immense pride in his players for finishing with the highest points total, especially given the emotional toll and chaos brought on by the global lockdowns. With this triumph, Real Madrid has officially broken Barcelona's two-year grip on the Spanish championship.
Barcelona stepped onto the pitch knowing they had to win, hoping for a slip-up from Madrid to keep their title dreams alive. Instead, they suffered a disappointing 2-1 home loss to Osasuna. After José Arnáiz gave Osasuna the early lead, Lionel Messi momentarily restored hope with a signature 23rd-goal free-kick to tie the game. Barcelona seemed to have the upper hand when Osasuna's Enric Gallego received a straight red card in the 77th minute for a foul on Clement Lenglet. However, the shorthanded Osasuna fought back, with Roberto Torres scoring a dramatic stoppage-time winner that extinguished Barcelona's hopes of a third straight title.