Reigning La Liga champions Barcelona have begun their title defence in style, securing a comfortable 3-0 victory away to a Mallorca side that completely lost its discipline and finished the match with just nine men.
Barça took the lead inside the opening 15 minutes through a Raphinha header, who connected perfectly with a splendid cross from the team’s new number 10, the sensational teenager Lamine Yamal.
The game’s pivotal and most controversial moment came shortly after, when Ferran Torres fired home a rocket to score Barça’s second goal while the Mallorca captain, Antonio Raíllo, was down on the pitch with a head injury. The home side’s furious protests at the referee’s decision not to stop play led to a complete meltdown.
In the space of just five minutes, Mallorca completely imploded. First, midfielder Manu Morlanes was sent off for a second yellow card received during the protests. Then, just moments later, striker Vedat Muriqi was shown a straight red card after a VAR check for a dangerous, high studs-up challenge on Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García.
With a two-goal and two-man advantage, Barcelona went into “cruise control” for the second half. The comprehensive victory was capped off with the final kick of the game, as Lamine Yamal scored a trademark goal, cutting in from the right wing and curling a beautiful shot into the far corner to make it 3-0.
It was the perfect start to the new campaign for Hansi Flick’s side. Despite being without key players like the injured Robert Lewandowski and their newly registered signings, the stellar performance of Lamine Yamal and the team’s clinical finishing have sent an early warning shot to their La Liga title rivals.