Barcelona vs. Espanyol: Winners and Losers from Derbi Barceloni
Just one more win. That's all Barcelona needs to retain their La Liga crown after they thrashed local rivals Espanyol 5-0 at Camp Nou on Sunday.
Lionel Messi put the hosts on their way to a comfortable victory when he converted a free-kick in the eighth minute.
Although Barcelona had to wait until the second half to add to their lead, Espanyol fell apart after the break.
The in-form Luis Suarez bagged a brace, while Rafinha—who found the net with his first touch after coming on as a substitute—and Neymar also scored.
Barcelona are now one point clear of Real Madrid—who won 3-2 against Valencia—going into the final weekend of the season. As for Atletico Madrid, their title hopes disappeared with 2-1 loss away at Levante.
Here, Bleacher Report picks out the winners and losers from a one-sided Catalan derby.
Winner: Luis Suarez
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Luis Suarez's goalscoring exploits for Barcelona must have football statisticians salivating every time he plays.
The Uruguayan's two goals against Espanyol takes his tally for the season to 56 in 51 games. His astonishing numbers don't end there either.
Per Sky Sports Statto on Twitter, Suarez has now "scored 30 goals in all competitions in 2016—more than any other player in Europe's big five leagues."
He's managed to find the net 11 times in his last four outings, while his second against Espanyol saw him register the 1,000th of the La Liga season, according to statistician OptaJose.
Suarez also managed an assist on Sunday—it was his low cross that allowed Neymar to make it 5-0.
Loser: Pau Lopez
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Espanyol goalkeeper Pau Lopez made his feelings clear before the derby.
According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo (h/t Football Espana), in a radio interview, Lopez said he didn't care who won La Liga—so long as it was a team from Madrid.
Barca manager Luis Enrique should thank the opposing player for sharing his thoughts in public—it no doubt motivated the hosts to make sure they made Lopez eat his words.
The 21-year-old even gave the Blaugrana a helping hand.
Lopez looked set to comfortably deal with a heavy through ball as he rushed off his line.
However, he inexplicably let the ball spill from his grasp as he slid along the turf, allowing substitute Rafinha to tap home into an empty net and make it 4-0.
Winner: Lionel Messi
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Lionel Messi calmed any nerves at Camp Nou with a quite wonderful opening goal for Barcelona.
The forward stepped up to curl home a free-kick after just eight minutes of the match, with his effort dipping just below the bar and beating Pau Lopez's desperate dive.
According to statistician OptaJose on Twitter, "Messi is the first player to score four free-kick goals for Barcelona in a season since Brazilian Ronaldinho in the 2006/07 campaign."
He also laid on his side's second goal, providing the through ball for Luis Suarez to score in the 52nd minute.
On a day when the tension in the stands could have spilled over onto the field, Messi kept Barcelona on course to be crowned champions again.
Losers: Espanyol
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Despite being thumped by their local rivals, Espanyol actually had a reason to celebrate after the match.
With other results going their way down at the bottom of the table, Constantin Galca's side are now certain to be playing top-flight football next season.
However, they should be grateful their rivals at the foot of the league have helped them out.
Espanyol have won just once in their last seven league outings, a 1-0 home triumph over Sevilla on May 1 and never looked capable of causing an upset against their neighbours on Sunday.
Still, at least Galca and his players can now relax ahead of their final outing of a disappointing campaign. They host Eibar next weekend.
Winner: Luis Enrique
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When Barcelona lost three successive La Liga games in April, a seemingly one-horse title race was suddenly blown wide-open.
Since that blip, Luis Enrique's side have responded in the style of champions. They have reeled off four successive victories by a combined score of 21-0.
Barca's thumping triumph over Espanyol on Sunday means a win over Granada on the last weekend of the season will secure the league.
Enrique told the club's official website after the derby: "Away games are always hard because there are things you can’t control. We’re one step away.
"I hope we’re precise and complete."
The good news is Granada have nothing but pride to play for. They secured their top-flight status for another season with a 4-2 triumph away at UEFA Europa League finalists Sevilla.
