Real Madrid returned to the top of the La Liga summit after clinching the 34th top-flight title in club history.
Los Blancos defeated Villarreal 2-1 on Thursday at the Santiago Bernabeu, clinching the title with one match to spare. It marked the 11th overall title earned by Los Blancos under Zinedine Zidane’s reign as manager and the second league crown.
Barcelona’s 2-1 home defeat to Osasuna also clinched the title win for Real Madrid, who rolled after coming back into league play. Los Blancos won 10-consecutive league matches since resuming play on June 14th, outscoring their opponents 19-4.
Karim Benzema led the way on Thursday with a brace, extending his season total to 19 goals in La Liga play. Despite injuries this season to key players Eden Hazard, Toni Kroos, and Gareth Bale, Los Blancos edged Barcelona to the league title with only three defeats from 37 matches to date.
Real Madrid will now look to capture the UEFA Champions League crown in August. Los Blancos will travel to Manchester City looking to overturn a 2-1 aggregate scoreline in the Round of 16. Should they advance past Pep Guardiola’s side, they will take part in the remainder of the competition in Portugal.
Matchday 38 will see Real Madrid travel to Leganes on July 19th, looking to make it 11 wins in-a-row to end the domestic season.