Barcelona Ends Perfect Home Season in Lewandowski Farewell/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Barcelona completed a perfect home La Liga season with a victory over Real Betis in Robert Lewandowski’s farewell match. Antoine Griezmann also said goodbye to Atletico Madrid fans before his MLS move. Sevilla secured La Liga survival despite losing to Real Madrid as the relegation battle intensified.
La Liga Roundup Quick Looks
- Barcelona finished with 19 home wins in 19 league matches
- Robert Lewandowski played his final game at Camp Nou
- Raphinha scored twice in Barcelona’s win over Betis
- Antoine Griezmann bid farewell to Atletico Madrid supporters
- Atletico defeated Girona 1-0 at the Metropolitano
- Sevilla avoided relegation despite losing to Real Madrid
- Vinícius Júnior scored the winner for Madrid
- Kylian Mbappé started after recent injury recovery
- Girona, Mallorca, Levante, Osasuna, and Elche remain in relegation danger
- One final round of La Liga matches remains
Deep Look
Barcelona Completes Perfect Home Campaign
Spanish champions Barcelona closed out a flawless home season in La Liga with a 3-1 victory over Real Betis on Sunday as fans bid an emotional farewell to Robert Lewandowski.
The Catalan club completed the rare achievement of winning all 19 home league matches during the campaign, further underlining its dominance after already securing a second consecutive league title two rounds earlier.
Raphinha scored twice while João Cancelo added another goal to give Barcelona the victory in front of a packed Camp Nou crowd celebrating both the title-winning season and Lewandowski’s final appearance for the club.
Barcelona announced Saturday that the 37-year-old Polish striker would leave the club after four successful seasons.
Emotional Farewell for Robert Lewandowski
Lewandowski’s departure marked the end of one of the most productive periods by a striker in recent Barcelona history.
During his four years with the club, Lewandowski helped Barcelona win three La Liga titles and one Copa del Rey while scoring 119 goals in 192 appearances.
Following Sunday’s victory, teammates celebrated the veteran striker by tossing him into the air before forming a guard of honor as he walked toward the locker room.
“It has been an honor to play for this club,” Lewandowski said. “We’ve enjoyed some great moments in these four years. I am very proud of everything we have achieved together. Today I say goodbye, but I will always carry Barcelona in my heart. Thank you so much, fans. Once a Barça fan, always a Barça fan.”
The emotional farewell highlighted Lewandowski’s strong connection with supporters and his major role in helping restore Barcelona’s domestic dominance.
Griezmann Says Goodbye to Atletico Madrid
Another emotional farewell unfolded in Madrid as Antoine Griezmann played his final home match for Atletico Madrid before his expected move to Major League Soccer in the United States.
Atletico defeated Girona 1-0 at the Metropolitano Stadium, but much of the attention centered on Griezmann’s departure.
The French forward, Atletico’s all-time leading scorer, reflected on his complicated relationship with supporters after previously leaving the club for rival Barcelona before eventually returning.
“I didn’t realize how much I loved you here. I was very young. I made a mistake, I reconsidered, and we did everything we could to come back and enjoy it again,” Griezmann said.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone praised the 35-year-old striker after the match.
“Griezmann is possibly the best one to have ever played here,” Simeone said. “He’s an extraordinary guy, a genius. He’s the most game-changing player that we’ve coached here.”
Griezmann leaves Atletico as one of the most influential players in club history and a fan favorite despite his earlier controversial departure.
Real Madrid Defeats Sevilla
Real Madrid secured a 1-0 win over Sevilla thanks to a goal from Vinícius Júnior, though the result carried greater significance for the relegation battle than for Madrid itself.
Madrid had already locked up second place in the league standings before Sunday’s match.
Kylian Mbappé returned to the starting lineup just days after publicly stating that coach Álvaro Arbeloa had made him the club’s fourth-choice striker. The French star recently returned from injury and had appeared as a substitute during Thursday’s victory over Oviedo.
Despite Sevilla’s defeat, the club officially avoided relegation thanks to favorable results elsewhere around the league.
Relegation Battle Heads to Final Weekend
The fight to avoid relegation remains one of the biggest storylines heading into the final round of La Liga matches.
Alaves secured survival with a 1-0 victory over already relegated Oviedo.
Levante boosted its survival hopes by beating Mallorca 2-0, moving into 15th place with 42 points. Osasuna and Elche also sit on 42 points after mixed results Sunday.
Osasuna suffered a 2-1 defeat at home against Espanyol, while Elche earned a narrow 1-0 win over 10-man Getafe.
Girona, Mallorca, and Oviedo remain inside the relegation zone entering the final weekend.
Girona sits on 40 points, Mallorca has 39, and Oviedo remains well behind with 29 points after already being relegated.
The tense battle ensures that survival drama will dominate the league’s final round as several clubs continue fighting to remain in Spain’s top division.
Barcelona and Atletico Enter New Eras
Sunday’s matches also symbolized the end of an era for two of Spain’s biggest clubs.
Lewandowski’s departure closes a successful chapter for Barcelona after the veteran striker helped guide the club through a rebuilding phase and back to championship success.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, prepares for life without Griezmann, whose creativity and goal-scoring defined much of the club’s modern era under Diego Simeone.
With veteran stars leaving and younger players stepping into larger roles, both clubs appear set to enter periods of transition despite maintaining strong competitive positions in Spanish football.
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