FC Barcelona vs Granada : picture gallery and best moments
Barcelona pipped bitter rivals Real Madrid to the La Liga title tonight. Luis Suarez seemed to be at his sublime best with a hat-trick at Granada.
FC Barcelona vs Granada : picture gallery and best moments
Barca’s fifth victory in a row ensured they won the league. They were ahead by one point from Real, who beat Deportivo La Coruna 2-0. Barca, nine points clear on 1 April, will ensure a second straight league and cup double if they beat Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final on Sunday, 22 May.
Barca could easily have felt tense during the final-day decider, particularly when Cristiano Ronaldo scored early in La Coruna to give Real the advantage.
Suarez, who started the day four clear of Ronaldo in the race for Pichichi – La Liga’s golden boot – eased fan nerves when he was left unmarked to tap in Jordi Alba’s cross in the 22nd minute.
Granada offered virtually no real threat throughout and the game was as good as over when Dani Alves amazingly hooked the ball across for Suarez to flash home a near-post header before half-time. The Uruguayan completed his treble four minutes before the end when Neymar’s unselfish flicked pass offered him an empty net.
Suarez’s total of 40 is more than anybody has scored in a La Liga season other than Messi and Ronaldo.
Before the second El Clasico of the season on 2 April, Barcelona were unbeaten in 39 games, nine points clear at the top of the table and bidding to become the first team to successfully defend the Champions League title.
But a 2-1 defeat by Real Madrid at the Nou Camp sparked a dramatic fall for the Catalan club. Within 15 days they were out of Europe and only top of La Liga by virtue of head-to-head difference after three successive defeats.
However, they responded by winning five in a row, scoring 24 goals and conceding none. They never looked back.
