Real Madrid win La Liga with 2-1 victory over Villarreal to secure 34th title

Real Madrid have clinched a record-extending 34th La Liga title by beating Villarreal 2-1 at home on Thursday thanks to two goals from their leading scorer Karim Benzima for the first time since 2017.

Benzema fired through the legs of goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo to put Madrid in front after 29 minutes and then converted a penalty in the 77th before Villarreal’s Vicente Iborra pulled a goal back late on.

Barcelona needed to win at home to Osasuna and hope Real Madrid dropped points but they lost 2-1 after Roberto Torres scored in added time at the Nou Camp.

Zinedine Zidane's team overhauled their rivals with a 10-game winning streak since La Liga returned in June after a three-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Zidane who was reappointed for his second spell as coach in March 2019 has now won two trophies this year, after picking up the Spanish Super Cup in January.

The legendary ex-player was previously in charge from 2016 to 2018, winning 10 trophies including one league title and three Champions Leagues, before resigning.

The 2019-20 season has seen Madrid and Barca battle it out at the top of the table, with little to separate the two giants.

Madrid have had to compete for much of the campaign without €100 million star signing Eden Hazard, who has struggled with a persistent ankle injury which eventually required surgery.

The 2-0 Clasico win over Barca on March 1 was crucial but it was followed by a 2-1 defeat at Real Betis which left Barca two points ahead when La Liga was suspended on March 12.

Setbacks such as the need to play home games at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium, home of Madrid's B-team Castilla, due to the redevelopment of the Bernabeu have been dealt with, as has speculation about the futures of big-name players such as Gareth Bale and James Rodrigues, who have both been sidelined by Zidane.

Madrid veterans Sergio Ramos, 34, and top scorer Karim Benzema , 32, have made important contributions in attack, while Thibaut Courtois will win the Zamora trophy for the La Liga goalkeeper with the best goals-to-games ratio.

Madrid will look to win another trophy this summer in the Champions League, as they try to overturn a 2-1 round-of-16 first leg deficit against Manchester City on Aug. 7 to reach the final stages in Lisbon later that month.