Hansi Flick’s Barcelona ended their three-game winless streak in La Liga on Tuesday night (December 3), claiming a thumping 5-1 victory over Mallorca at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix. The victory allowed the Blaugrana to pull four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the Spanish top-flight rankings. Los Blancos, however, have two games in hand to bridge the gap.
Second-Half Masterclass Takes Barcelona to Thumping Win Over Mallorca
Barcelona enjoyed an excellent start at San Moix, thanks to a defensive howler from Martin Valjent and Johan Mojica. The defenders had a mix-up inside the box, with both failing to kick the ball out of harm’s way. The ball kindly fell to a lurking Ferran Torres, who slotted the ball home from close range. Six minutes later, Torres had a decent opportunity to make it 2-0, but his unconvincing attempt did not trouble Mallorca goalkeeper Leo Roman.
In the 43rd minute, Vedat Muriqi struck for Mallorca, as the home side exploited Barcelona’s high line. Pablo Maffeo chased down an inviting ball over the top before squaring it for Muriqi, allowing him to send it into the back of an empty net.
After suffering a disappointing end to the first half, Barcelona came out all guns blazing in the second 45. In the 54th minute, Lamine Yamal drew a foul inside the box, winning a penalty for Barcelona. Raphinha applied a thumping, low finish to make it 2-1 for the visitors. In the 74th minute, Yamal found Raphinha with a jaw-dropping outside-the-boot cross, allowing the Brazilian to apply a simple finish.
Five minutes later, Frenkie de Jong made it four, punishing Mallorca for botching their clearance. Finally, in the 84th minute, Pau Victor made it 5-1, as De Jong set him up with a clever pass inside the area.
Barcelona ran circles around Mallorca on Tuesday. So, it is no surprise that all three standout performers are Barca players.
Raphinha was the man of the match, as he created chances at will, kept the attack mobile with his perfect passes, and applied two clinical finishes. Throughout the game, he created four chances, completed 25 passes (93% accuracy), made three recoveries, and delivered three accurate long balls.
Lamine Yamal did not get on the scoresheet, but he was key to Barca’s success on Tuesday. Not only did he win a penalty and assist Raphinha with a gem of a cross, but he also started the move that led to De Jong’s goal. Against Mallorca, the 17-year-old created two chances, had six shots, pulled off five dribbles, delivered four accurate long balls, and won six ground duels.
Lastly, we have Frenkie de Jong who made quite an impression coming off the bench in the 72nd minute. The Dutchman got off the mark seven minutes after coming on, slotting the ball home from close range. Five minutes later, he assisted Victor for Barca’s fifth goal. In 18 minutes, De Jong created a big chance, had three touches inside the opposition box, and made an interception.
Sushan Chakraborty
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