Highlights of the match RCD Mallorca vs FC Barcelona (0-4)
Arturo Vidal, Martin Braithwaite, Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi scored as Barcelona beat Real Mallorca 4-0. Barcelona’s victory marks a winning return in LaLiga.The match also saw the return of Luis Suarez from injury.
Three months had passed since the La Liga leaders last played. This is because of the coronavirus-enforced break. However, Barcelona needed less than two minutes to go ahead through Vidal’s header.
Braithwaite then fired in a second eight minutes before the break. Alba struck 11 minutes from time before Messi wrapped up victory in injury time. Barca thus went five points clear of Real Madrid ahead of Los Blancos’ victory on Sunday.
There was no sign of any rust in Quique Setien’s ranks as Barca went ahead after just 65 seconds. Frenkie de Jong robbed Real Madrid loanee Takefusa Kubo in midfield. The ball was delivered into the box by Alba, with Vidal running onto the cross. Vidal directed his header into the bottom-left corner of the net. Barca threatened to put the game to bed early on as Braithwaite and Messi both came close. At that point, Mallorca finally woke up.
Kubo looked intent on making amends as he forced Marc-Andre ter Stegen into a good save from the edge of the box. The Madrid loanee was denied again with a low free-kick. Subsequently, the leaders doubled their lead before the interval. Braithwaite clinically dispatching his first goal for the club. The goal arrived after a scrappy build-up that included headed flick-ons from De Jong and Messi.
Mallorca nearly found a way back into the match shortly after the restart. Ante Budimir’s first-time effort was always bending away from Ter Stegen as it flew wide. Setien brought on Suarez – out since January because of a knee injury . That seemed to galvanise Messi, who set up Braithwaite and Ronald Araujo. However, their efforts that were stopped by Manolo Reina and the post respectively.
Messi would not be denied a second assist, though, as he cleverly flicked the ball over the top for Alba. The receipient had managed to stay onside and finish at the near post.There was time enough for Messi to get on the scoresheet as he kept his balance in the box before working space and firing right-footed high into the net.