Mallorca could not take advantage of the path opened by Cádiz and Rayo. Barça did not allow a new humiliation, the third in a row at home, with as much (or as little) at stake as qualification for the Champions League. Without showing an extraordinary improvement in the game, Xavi Hernández’s squad did know how to sharpen their aim.
The mistake in the auction was the origin of the resounding punishment received. It was enough this time with a reassuring goal from memphis and another security Busquets (fundamental, because Raíllo woke up the ghosts) to tie up an indispensable triumph: the crisis was tackled and the setbacks of Sevilla and Atlético were taken advantage of to extend the advantage in the fight for second place and the place in the future Super Cup.
Raíllo scored the 2-1 after a disallowed goal against Ferran and the stadium shook for a while.
The return of Ansu Fati
Barça won the match and beat Ansu Fati for the cause, which was celebrating its third comeback of the season. He entered with the 2-0, shortly after the Ferran’s disallowed goal. It was the emotional component of the match and the team was distracted, sensitized by the loving applause for the young striker. The relaxation and a multitude of split balls made it easy for Mallorca to cheer up, score, and the stadium lived shaken for a while.
Aguirre expected a Barça with the knife between the teeth. Unfounded fear. he found un Barça more cerebral than rabid, more methodical than passionate, and visibly touched by the consecutive defeats at the Camp Nou, playing with the slowness of insecurity more than by their own will or the defensive device of the rival. Mallorca defended with five behind, but it was not a tight box or extremely delayed in its field. He wanted to stay away from the area and that made it easier for Barça to penetrate.
Ansu Fati reappeared for the third time and his emotional appearance distracted his teammates, who began to lose balls.
broken couple
Xavi did not let Piqué rest, in need of a break due to the discomfort he is suffering in the adductor. The battering ram of Mallorca was Niño, and he preferred to trust the pair of more corpulent center-backs, as on other occasions. But he did not last long. Something predictable due to the injury of the Catalan, quite limiting. It served as a nasa when Raíllo was able to get ahead of Araujo.
Piqué complained after ten minutes after two forced actions – normal in a First Division match, go – and was substituted 15 later. Barça had already gone ahead, but Niño had already given a scare too, by finishing off a triangulated play on an empty goal that could have spawned another nightmare like those of Cádiz and Rayo.
Piqué began to complain after ten minutes and only lasted until half an hour.
Memphis avoided it with his goal, instantly breaking the lethargy that was beginning to invade the stands, enthusiastic and forgetful, with the visible presence of foreign fans. The volume of the chants was similar to the usual despite the fact that the animation goal was emptier, although the entrance increased by five thousand spectators compared to recent disasters. Busquets’ goal unleashed the revelry, shielding the result by how inoffensive Mallorca is away from home.
An ambitious Memphis
Memphis was starting for the third time in three months, losing the job first because of his injury and then because of the arrival of the competition. He recovered it due to Dembélé’s tonsillitis and Adama’s ineffectiveness. Awake and attentive to squeeze the opportunity, caught Maffeo looking at the shrews to stand before Rico.
The bench renewed the ambition that Memphis showed in August, running many times into space in search of balls that did not always arrive. He ran to the left, his usual spot, bringing Ferran Torres returned for a day to the right. It was his natural location in Valencia and at first in Manchester, but he got lost last night in Barcelona.
Data sheet
Barcelona: Ter Stegen (5), Alves (6), Araujo (5), Piqué (5), Alba (5); F. de Jong (5), Busquets (7), Gavi (7); Ferran (5), Aubameyang (6), Memphis (7).
Technical: Xavi Hernandez (6).
Changes: Eric (6) by Piqué (d. 28); Ansu Fati (5) for Aubameyang (d. 75); Dembélé (4) by Ferran (m. 75); Lenglet (sc) by Alves (m. 88).
Majorca: Sergio Rico (7); Maffeo (4), Russo (5), Raíllo (6), Valjent (5), Oliván (6); Ángel (5), Sánchez (5), Battaglia (5), Dani Rodríguez (4); F. Child (4).
Technical: Javier Aguirre (5).
Changes: Take (6) by Niño (m. 59); Grenier (5) by Dani (d. 59); Kang-In Lee (5) for Battaglia (d. 70); Seville (6) by Sánchez (m. 70); Hoppe (sc) by Angel (d. 89).
Goals: 1-0 (m. 25), Memphis stands alone against Rico; 2-0 (m. 54), Busquets connects a left foot; 2-1 (m. 79), Raíllo anticipates Araujo.
Referee: González Fuertes (6), Asturian.
Cards: Gavi (d. 35), Raíllo (d. 63), Grenier (d. 64), Alba (d. 90), Maffeo (d. 90).
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Stadium: Camp Nou.
Spectators: 62,789.