Key Points

Barcelona kicked off their La Liga title defense with a 3-0 win over Mallorca, though the match was marred by controversy. Mallorca had two players sent off in a fiery first half, sparking protests over refereeing decisions. Youngster Lamine Yamal shined with a goal and assist, while Rayo Vallecano also started strong with a win. The season opener set the tone for what promises to be a competitive campaign.

Key Points: Barcelona Begin La Liga Defense With Controversial 3-0 Mallorca Win

  • Raphinha and Fermin Lopez scored early for Barcelona
  • Mallorca had two players sent off in a heated first half
  • Lamine Yamal sealed the win with a late curling strike
  • Rayo Vallecano also won 3-1 against 10-man Girona
2 min read

Barcelona kickstart La Liga title defense with win in Mallorca

Barca's title defense starts with a dominant but contentious victory as Mallorca sees two red cards and heated protests over referee decisions.

"The Mallorca players were furious when play was allowed to continue - Xinhua"

Madrid, Aug 17

Reigning La Liga champion FC Barcelona began its title defense with a comfortable but controversial 3-0 win away to Mallorca

The game was as good as over by halftime after Raphinha put Barca ahead from a Lamine Yamal cross in the seventh minute and Fermin Lopez doubled the lead in the 23rd minute.

The Mallorca players were furious when play was allowed to continue after defender Antonio Raillo went down after clearing a cross into the area, with Lopez scoring as the defender remained on the floor, Xinhua reports.

Manu Morales was booked for protesting and just 10 minutes later he was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Yamal to leave Mallorca with 10 men.

It got even worse for the home side in the 39th minute when Vedat Muriqi was shown a direct red card after the VAR took a look at his high challenge on Barca goalkeeper Joan Garcia who had been registered before kick-off, along with Marcus Rashford.

The home side was even more angry when Raphinha was only shown a yellow card for a late challenge on the stroke of halftime.

The second half saw Barca control the ball, with Mallorca defending stubbornly with two fewer players on the pitch and with goalkeeper Leo Roman making some fine saves.

The home side kept Barca at bay until the 94th minute when Yamal cut inside two tired defenders to score with a curling shot into the top corner to make it 3-0.

Rayo Vallecano kicked off the season on Friday with a 3-1 win away to Girona, whose goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga had a nightmare first half, which included two goal-producing errors and a 43rd minute red card.

Rayo led 3-0 at the break and held on for the win against a rival that had just 10 men on the pitch.

Oviedo's long-awaited return to La Liga ended with a 2-0 defeat in Villarreal. Alberto Reina saw two cards and was sent off in the 27th minute and against 10-man, Etta Eyong and Pape Gueye sealed Villarreal's win before the break.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

A
Ananya R
Lamine Yamal is just 16 and already playing like a superstar! Future of Spanish football is in safe hands 🇪🇸⚽ So proud to see young talents shining in La Liga!
V
Varun X
As a neutral football fan, the refereeing was questionable today. Both teams got harsh decisions. VAR needs to be more consistent across all leagues. Still, Barca's quality showed in the end.
S
Shreya B
Watching from Mumbai at 1:30 AM was totally worth it! That Yamal goal at the end was pure class 💙❤️ Visca Barca! Hope we can keep this momentum going for UCL too.
K
Karthik V
Mallorca got robbed today no doubt. But can we talk about how good Fermin Lopez is becoming? From third division to starting for Barca in one year - what a journey!
M
Michael C
The red card decisions changed the game completely. At 11v11 it could have been different. But credit to Barca for taking advantage - that's what champions do.
P
Priyanka N
As an Indian football fan, I just love watching La Liga! The technical quality is unmatched. Hope ISL can reach even 10% of this level someday 🤞

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50