Barcelona 5:1 Mallorca (December 3, 2024) Match analysis

Barcelona 5:1 Mallorca (December 3, 2024) Match analysis

Barcelona captain Raphinha made La Liga victories for the first time in a month with a 5-1 win at Mallorca on Tuesday, scoring twice as the visitors scored four goals in the second half.

Barca coach Hansi Flick opted to rest LaLiga top scorer Robert Lewandowski, who has started all 20 games in all competitions, while Lamine Yamal returned to the starting line-up after almost a month out with an ankle injury.

Without Yamal, Barca seemed to be facing a brick wall, picking up just one point from their last three games, but with the 17-year-old back in the starting line-up they fired again.

“Lamine is always important. With his quality he makes a big difference in our team,” said Flick after the game. “Of course he could score one or two goals today. In the end he gave the penalty and also prepared a goal.”

“It is important. But that is his quality and we need it. But it’s not just him who plays really well, the other players do too. I always talk about the central defender. It’s not always easy, our style, the way they want to play, but they’re doing really well.

Barca lead the table with 37 points, four ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, who still have two games in hand. Atletico is third with 32 points.

Barca took an early lead when Ferran Torres scored in the 12th minute after a comical mistake by the hosts’ defence. Johan Mojica fired an attempted save against a teammate, with the ball hitting Torres, who was perfectly placed to shoot into the goal under the goalkeeper’s legs.

Barcelona players celebrate after scoring a goal against Mallorca in LaLiga.
Barcelona players celebrate after scoring a goal against Mallorca in LaLiga.

Barca created a few chances in a slow first half and Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi equalized with a quick counter-attack just before half-time.

But Barca came out strong in the second half and Raphinha, who had almost scored from a free kick minutes earlier, restored the lead from the penalty spot in the 56th minute after Lamine Yamal was fouled in the box.

Yamal crossed for Raphinha to extend Barca’s lead with a pass in the 74th minute, and substitutes Frenkie De Jong and Pau Víctor secured an easy win with late shots on goal from inside the box.

“We knew how important it was to win again,” Raphinha told Movistar Plus.

“Something was missing in the last three games. We were good today, it wasn’t our best game, but the win was the most important thing.”

“I’m currently experiencing my best time professionally, but I don’t want to stop there. I want to do a lot more for this club, which I love very much. I’ll do everything I can on the pitch so we can keep the momentum going forward.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *