Villarreal secured their place in next season’s Champions League with a thrilling 3-2 victory over newly-crowned La Liga champions Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday. Despite having already wrapped up their 28th league title, Barça fielded a strong side under Hansi Flick, who reminded his players that celebrations shouldn’t compromise performance. However, it was Villarreal who drew first blood through Ayoze Perez, who finished confidently after being teed up by Nicolas Pepe.
Barcelona responded with another moment of brilliance from 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, who skipped past two defenders before curling a low shot into the bottom corner to level the score. Yamal nearly gave his side the lead when he struck the bar, before Fermin Lopez rifled home from the edge of the box to put the hosts 2-1 ahead.
Villarreal were not done yet. Santi Comesaña lifted the ball over Marc-André ter Stegen to equalise before Tajon Buchanan completed the comeback with a decisive goal in the 80th minute. The result marked Barcelona’s first home defeat of 2025 and their first league loss of the year, though fans still chanted “champions” as the team was presented with the La Liga trophy after the final whistle – possibly their last match at the Olympic Stadium before returning to Camp Nou next season.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid continued their strong finish to the season with a 2-0 win over nine-man Sevilla. Kylian Mbappé, who took his tally to 29 league goals, opened the scoring with a powerful strike from range. Jude Bellingham added a late second after Sevilla saw Loïc Badé and Isaac Romero sent off in each half for rash challenges.
In Madrid, Atletico thrashed Real Betis 4-1 with Julián Álvarez scoring twice and assisting another, consolidating third place for Diego Simeone’s side. Villarreal’s win, combined with Betis’ heavy defeat, opened up a clear gap in the race for Champions League qualification.
At the bottom end of the table, Dani Raba’s early goal gave Leganés a 1-0 win at already-relegated Las Palmas, keeping their survival hopes alive. They now sit 18th, two points from safety, and must beat Real Valladolid on the final day. Espanyol, just above them in 17th, lost 2-0 to Osasuna and must now beat Las Palmas next weekend to avoid slipping into the drop zone.
