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March 9, 2024

Barcelona 1-0 Mallorca: Lamine Yamal’s Goal Keeps Barca’s La Liga Hopes Alive – La Liga

Barcelona secured a vital 1-0 victory over Mallorca, with a second-half strike from teenage sensation Lamine Yamal keeping their La Liga title aspirations alive. Despite a missed penalty by Ilkay Gundogan in the first half, Yamal’s goal in the 73rd minute ensured the Blaugrana claimed all three points, moving them within five points of league leaders Real Madrid.

Yamal’s impressive goal lifted Barcelona to second place, leapfrogging Girona, as Xavi’s side closed the gap on their title rivals. The 16-year-old showcased his immense talent, finding the back of the net after an intelligent move left his marker behind. His curling shot into the far corner was enough to beat Mallorca’s in-form goalkeeper, Predrag Rajkovic.

Earlier, Barcelona had the perfect chance to take the lead when Copete fouled Raphinha inside the penalty area, but Rajkovic expertly saved Gundogan’s spot-kick. The Mallorca keeper had an outstanding performance, making crucial saves to deny Joao Felix and Yamal before the latter finally broke through.

Despite limited opportunities for both sides at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companies, Barcelona’s persistence paid off. Yamal’s moment of brilliance secured a hard-fought win, keeping the Catalan side in the hunt for the La Liga title.

Talking Point – The Teenage Sensation Shines Again

Lamine Yamal stepped up and delivered in a match desperately needing a moment of brilliance. The 16-year-old produced something special when his team needed it most, breaking down a resilient Mallorca defense and an inspired Predrag Rajkovic with a stunning strike.

Despite his age, Yamal displayed remarkable maturity, showing why he’s been directly involved in four goals across his last four La Liga matches (three goals, one assist). Though he lost possession a game-high 20 times, the young star’s persistence paid off. His decisive intervention could be pivotal in Barcelona’s title chase this season.

Player of the Match – Predrag Rajkovic

Though Mallorca lost, Rajkovic was outstanding in goal, almost single-handedly keeping Barcelona at bay. He made several key saves, including a remarkable stop to tip Yamal’s earlier shot onto the crossbar and a crucial save against Joao Felix. Rajkovic also denied Ilkay Gundogan from the penalty spot, marking his ninth penalty save in La Liga since 2019—the most by any goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues. He could do nothing about Yamal’s winner, but Rajkovic’s performance was heroic nonetheless.

Player Ratings

Barcelona

• Ter Stegen: 7 – Solid when called upon, though largely untroubled.
• Kounde: 7 – Composed at the back, supporting attacks and snuffing out danger.
• Cubarsi: 7 – The youngster looked mature, reading the game well and standing firm.
• Martinez: 8 – Commanding performance, dealing well with Mallorca’s forwards.
• Cancelo: 7 – Provided width and dynamism on the flanks, constantly overlapping.
• Gundogan: 6 – Quiet game, and missed a penalty, though still contributed in the buildup.
• Christensen: 6 – Did his job, tidy in possession but unspectacular.
• Raphinha: 5 – Struggled to impose himself on the game and make an impact.
• Yamal: 8 – The match-winner, his goal was a moment of brilliance from the teenage sensation.
• Guiu: 5 – I found getting involved in the final third challenging, and it was largely quiet.
• Joao Felix: 7 – He looked dangerous and came close to scoring with some reasonable efforts.

Subs

• Fermin: 6 – Added some energy but didn’t stand out.
• Lewandowski: 6 – Struggled to get into the game in limited minutes.
• Vitor Roque: 5 – Failed to make a significant impact.
• Romeu: N/A – It came on too late to influence the game.

Mallorca

• Rajkovic: 9* – Man of the match. Made crucial saves, including a penalty, and kept his side in the game until Yamal’s strike.
• Gonzalez: 6 – Decent defensively, though offered little going forward.
• Nastasic: 6 – Solid but struggled to deal with the pace of Barca’s attacks.
• Raillo: 6 – Strong in the air, but couldn’t stop Yamal’s moment of brilliance.
• Copete: 6 – Conceded the penalty but recovered to have a decent game.
• Lato: 6 – Worked hard defensively but was limited going forward.
• Darder: 6 – Showed flashes of creativity but couldn’t unlock Barca’s defense.
• S. Costa: 5 – Struggled to make his presence felt in midfield.
• Morlanes: 6 – Worked hard but found himself overrun in moments.
• Larin: 6 – Had some good moments but lacked a cutting edge.
• Muriqi: 6 – Battled well but couldn’t create much of a note.

Subs

• Rodriguez: 5 – Beaten by Yamal for the goal.
• J. Costa: 5 – Made little impact after coming on.
• Sanchez: 5 – Tried to bring energy, but it didn’t affect the outcome.
• Prats: N/A – Came on too late.
• Radonjic: N/A – Came on too late.

Match Highlights

24′ – SAVED: Rajkovic comes to Mallorca’s rescue! He dives to his left to deny Ilkay Gundogan from the penalty spot, keeping the score level.

35′ – JUST WIDE: Joao Felix brilliantly shakes off his marker at the edge of the box and unleashes a shot that flies just inches wide of the left post.

48′ – SAVE: Felix tries again, this time from a tight angle, but Rajkovic is alert, blocking the effort at his near post.

57′ – WHAT A SAVE: Yamal’s powerful strike looks destined for the net, but Rajkovic gets the faintest of touches, tipping it onto the crossbar to maintain the deadlock.

73′ – GOAL!!! BARCELONA 1-0 MALLORCA (YAMAL): Barcelona finally breaks through with a sensational goal! Yamal receives the ball at the edge of the box, cleverly spins past Rodriguez, and curls a sublime shot into the far corner, leaving Rajkovic helpless.

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