Barcelona picked up right where they left off last term and began their La Liga title-defense with a dominant performance away at Mallorca.
In a game where Barcelona dominated from start to finish—aided by two Mallorca players getting sent off in the first half—they left the rest of La Liga on notice. Despite this being far from the best performance of the Hansi Flick era, the Catalans still showed why they’re favorites to repeat as champions.
Raphinha scored Barcelona’s first goal of the season early in the contest. Ferran Torres doubled the lead as he continues to be a more than serviceable backup to an absent Robert Lewandowski. With the game under control, Lamine Yamal put the exclamation point on the victory with a wonderful strike in stoppage time.
The La Liga champions got the job done in their season debut and have now tallied 53 of 57 points in their last 19 league matches. But perhaps what’s most ominous is that it’s clear Flick’s side are still capable of greater improvement.
