Ex-Leeds United man forced to flee pitch after title celebrations spark invasion of opposition fans

Ex-Leeds United star Raphinha and his Barcelona teammates saw their La Liga title celebrations cut short as angry Espanyol fans stormed the pitch to confront them.

Xavi’s side picked up a 4-2 win at their fierce city rivals, to seal the league title ahead of Real Madrid with four games to spare.

Raphinha joined Barca from Leeds last summer and has made 32 league appearances for the club. He assisted Robert Lewandowski’s second goal of the evening before being withdrawn just after the hour.

The visitors took a 4-0 lead before Espanyol restored somepride with two goals in the final quarter of the game. In 2007, a very late Espanyol goal handed Real Madrid the title at the expense of Barca, who were able to exact revenge at the home of their rivals.

However, the visitors had flee their title celebrations early as home fans invaded the pitch.

Raphinha was spotted taking in the title win with the rest of his teammates as they danced around the centre circle at full time. Players and staff then made a beeline for the tunnel as home supporters jumped the barriers and made their way towards the Barcelona contingent.

Speaking about the post-match incident, Xavi told Movistar: “In the end the celebration is normal, but there comes a point when we are not at home. It was respectful to leave”.

Raphinha’s assist was his seventh of the La Liga season while he has also netted seven goals in the league for Barca. He has 10 goals and 12 assists in all competitions this season, making 46 appearances in his first campaign in Spain.

He was linked with a return to the Premier League last week amid reports Barca were looking to offload some of their players to help cut down on their wage bill.

However, Raphinha refuted those suggestions. Replying to a post on Instagram suggesting Newcastle United and Chelsea were showing the most interest in the winger after he had given the ‘ok’ to leaving the Camp Nou, Raphinha said: “Fake news. Whoever said this is lying. This is lying. Whoever said this is a liar, misinformed and unprofessional. If my comment gets deleted I’ll post on my Instagram.”

It is unlikely the player would seek a move away from Barcelona, after holding out for the La Liga club last summer amid interest from Chelsea and Arsenal.