Barcelona Begin La Liga Title Defence with Dominant 3-0 Win Over Mallorca
Barcelona kicked off their La Liga title defence in emphatic fashion, cruising to a 3-0 away victory over RCD Mallorca in the opening round of the 2025/26 season.
It was a night of debut intrigue as head coach Hansi Flick handed starts and minutes to new signings, including goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who started between the sticks, while former Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford made his much-anticipated debut, coming off the bench in the 69th minute.
Raphinha opened the scoring early on, expertly heading home at the near post following a pinpoint cross from teenage sensation Lamine Yamal. Barcelona doubled their lead midway through the first half, with Ferran Torres calmly slotting past the keeper to make it 2-0.
The match quickly turned into a nightmare for Mallorca, who were reduced to nine men before the half-time whistle. Midfielder Ramón Rodríguez 'Monchu' and striker Vedat Muriqi both saw red in quick succession, leaving the home side with a mountain to climb.
Despite their numerical advantage, Barcelona eased off in the second half. But deep into stoppage time, Lamine Yamal delivered a moment of individual brilliance, curling home a trademark effort to seal a commanding 3-0 win for the Catalan giants.
2025-26, Spain - La Liga
RCD Mallorca - Barcelona 0:3 (0:2)
Goals: Raphinha, 7 (0:1); Torres F., 23 (0:2); Yamal, 94 (0:3)
RCD Mallorca: Roman Leo; Morey (Mascarell, 46); Raillo; Mojica (Lato, 91); Valjent; Sánchez An.; Manu Morlanes (till 33); Darder (Jan Salas, 83); Torre P. (Dani Rodríguez, 46); Muriqi (till 39); Asano (Joseph, 46)
Bench: Bergström; Salhi; Guijarro; Garcia Daniel; Prats A.; Llabrés J.; Domenech M.
Yellow Cards: Morey 9; Manu Morlanes 24, 33; Torre P. 43
Red cards: Manu Morlanes 33', Muriqi 39'
Barcelona: García Jo.; Balde Al. (Jofre, 68); Araujo R.; Cubarsí (Gavi, 69); Garcia E.; de Jong F.; Fermin (Olmo, 46); Yamal; Raphinha (Kounde, 77); Torres F. (Rashford, 69); Pedri
Bench: Peña I.; Kochen; Christensen A.; Casado M.; Casino G.; Casino A.
Yellow Cards: Raphinha 45
