Actual Mallorca’s Slovak defender #24 Martin Valjent, Barcelona’s English ahead #14 Marcus Rashford and Actual Mallorca´s Spanish midfielder #06 Antonio Sanchez vie for the ball throughout the Spanish league soccer match between RCD Mallorca and FC Barcelona at Mallorca Son Moix Stadium in Palma de Mallorca on August 16, 2025. — AFP
BARCELONA: Barcelona started their LaLiga season with a assured show, beating nine-man Mallorca 3–0 on Saturday.
The Spanish champions seemed in management from the beginning, whereas new signing England ahead Marcus Rashford made a short debut from the bench.
Mallorca’s Manu Morlanes and Vedat Muriqi had been despatched off inside six first-half minutes after Raphinha and Ferran Torres struck early for the Spanish champions.
“These are three very important points, but I didn’t like the match. The team dropped their intensity too much in the second half, that’s not acceptable. We need to talk about it,” Barcelona coach Hansi Flick mentioned.
Raphinha headed residence after seven minutes and Torres doubled the lead within the twenty third minute to place the Spanish champions in command.
Mallorca gamers complained to the referee, saying they’d stopped taking part in when a teammate went down within the lead-up to Torres’s aim, however the referee was unmoved.
“I always tell my players not to stop until the referee blows the final whistle. It’s the referee who has to decide,” Flick mentioned.
Morlanes was proven a second yellow card for a foul on Lamine Yamal after 33 minutes and Muriqi obtained a straight pink after his excessive problem caught Joan Garcia.
Rashford, on mortgage from Manchester United, was despatched on within the 69th minute for his debut, changing into the primary Englishman to play a first-team sport for Barcelona since former England striker Gary Lineker in 1989.
Yamal discovered the highest nook with a wonderful shot 4 minutes into stoppage time to finish the guests’ comfy win.
Barcelona journey to Levante subsequent Saturday, when Mallorca host Celta Vigo.
