Jude Bellingham is officially a La Liga title winner, adding more shine to his fantastic first campaign with Real Madrid, who’ve dominated arch rivals Barcelona all season long
Jude Bellingham has won the La Liga title in his first season with Real Madrid, who profited from Girona’s stunning victory over Barcelona.
England midfielder Bellingham was among the goalscorers as Real hammered Cadiz 3-0 at home on Saturday afternoon before reigning champions Barca suffered a 4-2 defeat in the evening. It marks Bellingham’s first ever league title win and the second trophy of his Madrid career, having lifted the Spanish Super Cup in January.
Barcelona took the lead after only three minutes through Andreas Christensen, only for his opener to be cancelled out within 60 seconds. Robert Lewandowski then restored Barca’s advantage just before the break with a penalty.
But Girona, who are now second in the league table after leapfrogging their opponents, scored three times in 10 second-half minutes to lead 4-2. They held on in front of their own supporters to continue their excellent campaign and in turn hand the title over to Real.
Los Blancos have now won 36 La Liga titles, with boss Carlo Ancelotti claiming two of those. His side have only lost one league game all season, having been beaten away from home in the Madrid derby by neighbours Atletico.
A prolific second-half display saw Real dispatch Cadiz at a bouncing Bernabeu, as goals from Braham Diaz, Bellingham and Joselu did the damage. Then it was all eyes on Estadi Montilivi, with Barcelona making the short journey up the coast.
Christensen’s early goal suggested that Barca were in the mood to make their enemies wait, but Artem Dovbyk quickly drew Griona level with a header. Lewandowski then put the visitors back in front after wonderkind Lamine Yamal was fouled by Miguel Gutierrez, and the Pole duly slotted home.
Girona scored their equaliser through Portu on 65 minutes and shortly after it was 3-2, with Gutierrez making amends with a goal of his own. Portu was the provider for the left-back’s strike but he soon returned to the scoresheet with a spectacular effort which beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen all ends up.
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The champagne was being opened in Madrid, as Barcelona failed to mount a comeback and dropped down to third. Xavi’s side have now lost three of their last four games in all competitions, including a bruising Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on home soil, despite winning the first leg in France.
Barca then lost to Real in the third El Clasico of the season, as they did back in October and in the Super Cup earlier this year. Despite the defeats, Xavi announced a U-turn on his decision to leave the club this summer, setting up a Lewandowski-inspired 4-2 win against Valencia on Monday. Barcelona now have four games left to play in the fight for second place.
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
