Barcelona recovered from their Champions League quarter-final first-leg defeat with a commanding 4-1 victory over Espanyol in La Liga. The match, held at the Nou Camp, saw Ferran Torres score twice, while Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford added one goal each. Paul Lozano netted Espanyol’s only goal. The win strengthened Barcelona’s position at the top of the league table with 79 points from 31 matches, including 26 wins, one draw, and four losses, placing them nine points ahead of Real Madrid.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, continued to struggle in April after a strong March. The team has failed to win any of their three matches this month, dropping points in all. On Friday night, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Girona at the Santiago Bernabéu. Earlier, they lost to Mallorca in La Liga and to Bayern Munich 2-1 in the Champions League quarter-final first leg.

The results have tightened Barcelona’s grip on the title race while Real Madrid’s recent slump threatens their championship hopes.