Associated PressRead 2 minutes
Barcelona players celebrating their La Liga title win on Sunday had to leave after Espanyol fans stormed the pitch and started running towards them.
Following Barça’s 4-2 win, a large group of Espanyol fans jumped onto the field behind the first goal and headed towards the center circle, with an “ultra” fan.
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Security forces quickly intervened and managed to secure the safety of the players and club officials. Some of the guards encountered the fans but returned to the cave. Riot police had to stand in front of the tunnel entrance with shields to prevent fans from following the players.
The fans threw chairs and other objects at them before dispersing without incident.
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez tried to take the players to the locker room before the fans took action.
“It was a happy time, it was fun, it was normal, but we weren’t at home and I felt like we had more respect than when we were back in the locker room,” he said.
Espanyol have apologized for the trouble caused by the Barcelona derby at the RCDE Stadium.
“We must always condemn violence,” said Espanyol coach Luis Garcia. “Everything was done to prevent this from happening, but it was not possible.”
Barcelona won their first league title since 2019 in four rounds. The defeat dropped Espanyol to second to last.