Barca back with a bang
Barcelona ended a three-match winless run in La Liga by beating Real Mallorca 5-1 at Son Moix in a morale-boosting win for Hansi Flick’s troops.
The German rested Robert Lewandowski for this one but still saw his side score five times, as well as miss a host of chances over the 90 minutes. That’s now the fifth time Barca have hit five goals in a match under the German boss.
Barca weren’t completely convincing for large parts of the game but ran away with it in the end, with a victory that will restore a fair chunk of feelgood that has been missing lately.
10+ - Barcelona are the only team to have two different players with 10+ goals in Europe's top five leagues this season: Robert Lewandowski (15) and Raphinha (10).
Punch. pic.twitter.com/cBqj4w3Y2E
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 3, 2024
There were plenty of positives for Flick too. Lewandowski had a rest, Dani Olmo was back in the starting XI, while Ferran Torres, Frenkie de Jong and Pau Victor all scored.
Tougher tests await over the next few weeks but Barca will face those games against Betis, Dortmund and Atletico with renewed confidence after Tuesday’s win.
Lamine and Raphinha the inspiration
Raphinha and Lamine Yamal played starring roles again for Barca in Mallorca. The rumor mill claims the duo are the reason why Barca won’t go for Nico Williams this summer and they showed why yet again on Tuesday night.
Barca’s brilliant Brazilian led by example once more, scoring twice to jump into double figures in La Liga. He also insisted after the game he has no intention of stopping there this season either. And quite right too.
| PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Raphinha v Mallorca:
40 touches
⚽️ 2 goals
4 shots/4 on target (2.15 xG)
1 big chance created
4 key passes
25/27 accurate passes (0.59 xA)
8.9 Sofascore Rating
Can't. Be. Stopped. #MallorcaBarca pic.twitter.com/UYUjxjmTLf
— Sofascore Football (@SofascoreINT) December 3, 2024
Yamal also played an integral role after returning to the starting XI. He won the penalty and grabbed an assist with a simply gorgeous ball to Raphinha for 3-1.
“When Lamine Yamal is on the pitch he makes the difference,” said the skipper afterwards as he graciously acknowledged the teenager’s impact. He’s not wrong.
Firsts for Frenkie, Ferran still frustrating
Elsewhere up front, Ferran Torres was handed a rare start and probably couldn’t believe his luck when he was gifted the opening goal after just 12 minutes by a very generous Mallorca backline.
Yet that was about as good as it got for Ferran. He could, and probably should, have scored a few more but his first touch was lacking and his shooting wayward on another frustrating night for the forward.
You had to feel for Pau Victor who didn’t get the start, but credit to the youngster who did not let his head drop. Instead he made the very most of his 17 minutes on the pitch by scoring Barca’s fifth - and his second of the season - on a very enjoyable night.
Victor wasn’t the only sub to make a real impact. De Jong shrugged off months of injury misery by getting a goal and an assist which left the Dutchman smiling after a really productive cameo.
⚠️ | QUICK STAT
For the first time since 17 April 2021, Frenkie de Jong has both scored and provided an assist in the same match. ⚽️ ️
And he did it after coming off the bench in the 72nd minute! #MallorcaBarcelona pic.twitter.com/eG7yHnaY0Z
— Sofascore Football (@SofascoreINT) December 3, 2024
Flick was happy with De Jong afterwards too, saying: “He came on and, playing as a 10, he contributed a lot to the team, he’s an excellent player.”
These are De Jong’s first goal contributions of the season and come at a very welcome time for the Netherlands star. De Jong’s future is once again being talking about regularly but this performance may just quieten his critics.