Flick says ‘I will never forget this day’ as Barcelona wins La Liga after death of coach’s father

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was in the dugout for Sunday’s clasico against Real Madrid following the death of his father, with the Catalan club winning its second consecutive Spanish league title.

Barcelona beat Madrid 2-0 at Camp Nou just a few hours after the club announced the death of Flick’s father.

“I will never forget this day,” Flick said. “It was a tough day for me. It starts with this (news that) my father passed away, but here, my team is fantastic.”

Flick’s father reportedly died overnight. The club did not give any additional details.

“FC Barcelona and the entire blaugrana family wish to send all our love to Hansi Flick after the passing of his father,” Barcelona said in a statement. “We share in your sorrow and our thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.”

Barcelona and Madrid players wore black armbands and there was a moment of silence before kickoff.

Barcelona entered the last clasico of the season leading Madrid by 11 points with four rounds remaining in La Liga. It comfortably defeated Madrid with first-half goals from Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres.

“Flick has been very important for us,” midfielder Frenkie de Jong said. “He has very clear ideas, but inside there is a lot of freedom for the players. This way we can show our quality.”

Barcelona players threw Flick up in the air during the title celebrations.

“This is like a family and they gave everything today and I’m really proud,” Flick said. “It’s amazing, in this stadium, and also in the clasico against Real Madrid, to win La Liga.”

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer