After Hansi Flick’s team won La Liga thanks to a spectacular goal from Lamine Yamal in the Catalan Derby, Barcelona completed a domestic triple on Thursday night. After defeating Real Madrid 4-3 in Sunday’s El Clasico, the 28-time champions of the Spanish top division needed just three points from their final three games.
Ordinarily, the 1-0 victory over local rivals Espanyol—who are currently in 16th place and mathematically vulnerable to relegation—would be a reason to celebrate, but after embracing his manager, young phenom Yamal was seen making his way directly to the tunnel. View the incident below:
Flick was clearly upset and hurried his teammates off the ground and towards the tunnel as the rest of the team was celebrating on the pitch, despite Espanyol turning on the sprinklers in what seemed to be an attempt to ruin their good time.
Table of La Liga following matchday 36
Place
Group
Points
1.
Barcelona
85
2.
Real Madrid
78
3.
Real Madrid
70
4.
Sports Club
67
5.
Villarreal
64
6.
Betis Real
59
7.
Vigo Celta
52
8.
Vallecano Rayo
48
9.
The Osasuna
48
10.
Mallorca
47
11.
Valencia
45
12.
Actual Society
43
13.
The Girona
41
14.
Sevilla
41
15.
Getafe
39
16.
Spanish
39
17.
Alaves
38
18.
Leganes
34
19.
The Palmas
32
20.
Vallodolid Real
16
Why Barcelona’s Title Celebrations Were Aborted by Hansi Flick
The 60-year-old was keen to win back his teammates’ respect.
Barcelona’s players began to rejoice as the game was over, but tensions soon escalated as angry altercations erupted with Espanyol players who had displayed symptoms of annoyance all evening. Flick intervened quickly to defuse the situation before it got out of hand.
Ultimately, it appeared that only Yamal had done as he had instructed, figuring that given the shady past between the two clubs, a swift getaway was the wisest course of action. Despite the fantastic circumstances, Flick was incensed with his players because he had discussed before the game the importance of showing respect if his team did win the title. According to the Daily Mail, he stated in his pre-match interview:
“I don’t believe discussing or planning celebrations prior to the game is a smart idea. You must concentrate on the game. I watched the events on TV two years ago. Always treat others with respect, no matter what. After you battle for the three points, we’ll act morally.”
What Happened The Last Time Barca Won La Liga At Espanyol
All hell broke loose in Catalonia two years ago
Flick’s remarks followed unpleasant incidents from Barcelona’s previous championship victory, which also took place at Espanyol’s stadium, two years earlier, in which home fans rushed the team’s players into the tunnel (see the incident below). “I know what the situation is with respect to what happened two years ago, and I wanted to celebrate it inside,” he said.
Long before the final whistle blew again in midweek, tensions surrounding the Catalan Derby were apparent as a car rammed into a crowd of spectators outside the stadium, causing the game to pause momentarily while the referee alerted security to the situation. The terrifying incident, which is still being investigated, left 15 people injured, according to reports from Spain.
Catalan police do not think the crash was intentional, according to local media. They are instead operating under the premise that the driver, who is reportedly a woman, lost control of the car. Marca has since reported that she has been arrested. Thankfully, it is thought that the injuries are not severe. As Barca’s title celebrations were ruined on Thursday night, seven ambulances arrived on the scene, and numerous people were rushed to the hospital for treatment.
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