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The Barcelona youngster showed his class and was the man of the match as the Catalans overcame a stubborn Mallorca side
Lamine Yamal stole the spotlight with a spectacular strike as Barcelona secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Real Mallorca at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, extending their unbeaten run to eight games across all competitions and moving up to second in LaLiga.
How it happened
With Xavi serving a touchline suspension, his brother and assistant Oscar Hernández took charge, witnessing Barcelona's confident start with early goal attempts from Raphinha and Jules Koundé. A penalty was awarded to Barcelona when José Manuel Copete fouled Raphinha, but İlkay Gündoğan's spot-kick was saved by Predrag Rajkovic, and Yamal's attempt on the rebound was challenged.
Mallorca gained confidence after the penalty incident, creating opportunities with Sergi Darder's exquisite pass and a thwarted attempt by Vedat Muriqi and Cyle Larin. Pau Cubarsí's excellent challenge denied Mallorca a breakthrough. Barcelona faced frustration, especially when Raphinha left the field due to injury, replaced by Fermín López before halftime.
Barcelona emerged with increased intensity in the second half, hitting the bar with Yamal's powerful strike and testing Rajkovic with Gündogan's effort. The introduction of Vitor Roque and Robert Lewandowski injected fresh energy into the attack, and Yamal, the 16-year-old prodigy, delivered the decisive moment, unleashing an unstoppable finish past Rajkovic to score the only goal of the game.
Yamal's wonder goal proved to be the highlight of a cagey contest where Mallorca played a significant role. Despite their winless streak in 11 away league matches, Mallorca's spirited performance against a nervy Barcelona provided a positive takeaway for manager Javier Aguirre. Barcelona, though not at their best, secured a crucial victory in front of a tense Catalan crowd.
The Catalans will face Napoli next in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday for their second-leg round of 16 tie. The reigning Serie A champions will no doubt have been paying attention to Barcelona’s win over Mallorca, and would be taking extra care when it comes to Yamal after his impressive performance.
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