Barca beat Granada to win La Liga title

Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick as Barcelona claimed the 2015-16 La Liga title with a 3-0 win over Granada in Andalusia on Saturday.
The Catalan giants entered Week 38 leading second-place Real Madrid by one point and knowing that a win would secure a 24th La Liga crown and make it back-to-back championships after wrestling the crown from Atletico Madrid last season.
As it transpired, Real Madrid beat Deportivo La Coruna 2-0 in their final match, but a comfortable afternoon for Barcelona saw Luis Enrique’s side hold off pressure from the Bernabeu to finish top of the pile.
Barcelona had a golden chance to take the lead in the seventh minute when Javier Mascherano’s flicked header found Gerard Pique inside the box, but the Spaniard could not beat Granada stopper Andres Fernandez from close range.
Granada had their moments in the opening 20 minutes, but neither Youssef El-Arabi nor Abdoulaye Doucoure could make use of space outside the Barcelona box and both struck efforts wide of the post.
Barcelona finally made the breakthrough in the 22nd minute when Jordi Alba beat the offside trap and fed a low cross into Suarez, who could not pass up the chance to score his 38th La Liga goal of the season.
The visitors continued to dominate matters in the first period and they had their second of the match in the 38th minute when Dani Alves delivered a super cross into Suarez, who headed past Fernandez after reacting quicker inside the box.
Barcelona’s dominance continued early in the second period as Ivan Rakitic twice set up half-chances for Suarez and Pique, but neither could score the game’s third goal, which would have certainly made sure of the points.
A series of yellow cards and substitutions slowed the play entering the final 15 minutes and although Granada had more attacking intent in the second period, it proved to be an extremely comfortable afternoon for Enrique’s side, who scored their third in the 86th minute when Neymar set up Suarez for the Uruguay international’s hat-trick.
Barcelona lost three successive La Liga games in April to throw the title race wide open and despite Real Madrid winning their last 12 games of the season, it was the Catalan outfit that secured the crown once again.
Barcelona, who have taken the title by one point from second-place Real Madrid, will go in search of a domestic double when they face Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final next weekend.