Barcelona Opens Liga Defense with Controversial 3-0 Victory Over Mallorca
Barcelona commenced their Liga title defense with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Mallorca on Saturday, though the match was overshadowed by controversy and manager Hansi Flick’s dissatisfaction with his team’s second-half performance.
The Catalan champions took control early when Barcelona began the defense of their La Liga title with a 3-0 victory over nine-man Mallorca Mallorca 0-3 Barcelona: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Lamine Yamal stars in three-goal victory over nine-man hosts. The opening goal arrived after just seven minutes through a combination of two Ballon d’Or nominees – teenage sensation Lamine Yamal provided the cross for Raphinha to head home.
Yamal was instrumental in the second goal as well, occurring in the 23rd minute. His shot was headed away by Mallorca defender Antonio Raillo, who subsequently fell to the ground. With the referee allowing play to continue and Mallorca failing to clear their lines, the ball reached Ferran Torres, who scored from the edge of the penalty area. This decision sparked significant controversy, with Mallorca players expressing their displeasure at the referee’s choice not to stop play.
The match turned decisively in Barcelona’s favor when Mallorca were reduced to nine men. Manu Morlanes received his second yellow card in the 33rd minute for a challenge on Yamal, having already been booked for dissent regarding the second goal incident. Six minutes later, Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi was shown a straight red card for a dangerous high boot that connected with Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia’s face.
Despite the numerical advantage, Flick expressed disappointment with his team’s approach after halftime. Lamine Yamal scored one and assisted another to give Hansi Flick’s side a dominant opening win in La Liga Mallorca 0-3 Barcelona, La Liga 2025-26: Lamine Yamal Stars As Catalans Win Incident-filled Curtain-raiser, but the manager criticized the team for operating at only fifty percent capacity against nine players.
Barcelona introduced summer loan signing Marcus Rashford for his Liga debut, with his registration only being completed on Saturday morning. The match concluded with Yamal adding a spectacular third goal in injury time, cutting inside from the right wing and curling a left-footed shot into the top corner.
Other Liga opening weekend results included Valencia’s 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad, Alaves defeating promoted Levante 2-1, and Rayo Vallecano’s 3-1 victory over ten-man Girona. Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid have yet to begin their campaigns, with fixtures scheduled for Sunday and Tuesday respectively.