Espanyol turned sprinklers on to stop Barcelona celebrating La Liga title win [Video]

Barcelona clinched their 28th La Liga title with a commanding 2-0 victory over city rivals Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium on Thursday night, but the hosts stirred controversy by activating the pitch sprinklers in an apparent attempt to disrupt the champions' celebrations.

The match, which sealed Barça’s first league triumph in two years, was decided by 17-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal, who delivered a moment of magic with a superb curled strike in the 53rd minute before assisting Fermín López for a late second.

The victory completed a domestic treble for the Blaugrana, who had already secured the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup earlier in the season.

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Espanyol, fighting to avoid relegation, started aggressively, forcing Barcelona to withstand early pressure.

Urko González and Javi Puado missed clear chances, while goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny made a crucial save to keep the scores level at halftime.

The game turned in Barcelona’s favor after the break when Yamal cut inside from the right and unleashed an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Joan García.

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Espanyol’s hopes of a comeback were further dashed when Leandro Cabrera was sent off following a VAR review for striking Yamal off the ball.

Despite being a man down, Espanyol pushed for an equalizer, but Yamal’s composure in stoppage time allowed him to set up López for a clinical finish, sealing the title in style.

As Barcelona’s players began their celebrations, Espanyol officials controversially turned on the stadium sprinklers, drenching the pitch and forcing the newly crowned champions to cut short their festivities.

The act was widely perceived as a petty response to their rivals’ triumph.

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With this victory, Barcelona capped off a dominant domestic campaign, securing a historic treble and reaffirming their status as Spain’s top side.

Meanwhile, Espanyol’s bitter reaction only added further drama to an already heated Catalan derby.