GETAFE: Fermin Lopez and Marcus Rashford’s goals took Barcelona to the brink of the La Liga title with a 2-0 win at Getafe on Saturday.

The defending champions moved 11 points clear of second place Real Madrid, who drew at Real Betis on Friday to dent their hopes of finishing the season with a trophy.

Hansi Flick’s side can win their second consecutive Spanish title if they overcome Osasuna next weekend and Real fail to beat Espanyol.

Barcelona were without vital injured wingers Lamine Yamal and Raphinha but still did enough to see off Jose Bordalas’s tricky side, sixth, in the Madrid suburbs.

“We were aware of what was going to happen here, we were going to have few chances and I think we played well, competing well defensively and putting away the chances we had,” Lopez told Movistar.

“We know we’ve got a big advantage (in the title race) but even so, we can’t relax, I know it’s a cliche but it’s the truth.”

Getafe set out to disrupt Barcelona’s rhythm with small fouls and Barca struggled to create many clear opportunities.

Dani Olmo made the first with a neat dribble, speeding into Getafe territory, but pulled his shot wide of the far post.

Eventually the hosts made the breakthrough just before half-time when Pedri played in Lopez.

Wearing a protective mask after hurting his face in a collision with Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Juan Musso during Barcelona’s Champions League quarter-final elimination last week, Lopez stayed calm to slot home. The midfielder imitated Yamal’s usual “304” celebration in tribute to the injured teenage star.

With Getafe needing to come out of their shell to find an equaliser, Barca had more opportunities after the break.

David Soria saved from Olmo after he met Jules Kounde’s cross, and then the French defender headed a Joao Cancelo ball narrowly off-target.

Martin Satriano threatened for the hosts before Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, secured Barcelona’s triumph.

Robert Lewandowski sent the England international charging through on goal and he slipped a low effort past Soria to help Barca put one hand on the trophy. On Friday, Hector Bellerin scored deep into stoppage time to earn Betis a 1-1 draw against Real, denting the hosts’ fading title hopes with five games remaining.

Real took the lead in the 17th minute when Federico Valverde’s drive from outside the box was spilled by Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles and Vinicius Jr reacted quickly to finish from close range.

However, Betis equalised in the 93rd minute as Ferland Mendy lost possession to Antony inside the box, sparking confusion in the area. The ball broke kindly for Bellerin, who drove a low effort through a crowd of players and into the net.

“We suffered another blow in the final minutes, as has already happened to us many other times, and we end up with a result I don’t think we deserved, because we had chances (to win),” Real coach Alvaro Arbeloa told reporters.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2026