With one eye on the upcoming Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid, Barcelona took on Mallorca at home and edged out a 1-0 win, even with a few key players rested.
Barça were all over Mallorca in the first half. Hansi Flick’s side controlled the game across the pitch and carved out plenty of chances, but they were kept at bay by a brilliant display from keeper Leo Román.
They did have the ball in the back of the net – or nearly, anyway – when Gavi’s deflected strike from the edge of the box smacked off the post.
The visitors did what they could defensively and tried to hit on the counter. Just before the break, Mateu Morey had the ball in the net, but the flag went up and VAR confirmed the offside.
After the restart, the hosts didn’t mess about. Within a minute, Dani Olmo latched onto a ball from Eric García, shifted his body nicely and curled a lovely finish into the far corner. Román had no chance.
From there, Barcelona slowed things down, kept control, and saw it out without too much fuss.
The win keeps them top of La Liga on 76 points, still seven clear of Real Madrid. Mallorca stay seventh on 44.
