Barcelona strengthen La Liga lead with narrow win over Mallorca
Mallorca's goalkeeper Leo Román was in stellar form, making crucial saves to deny Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres in the first half.
KATHMANDU: Barcelona solidified their grip on the top spot in La Liga with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Mallorca on Tuesday, extending their lead over second-placed Real Madrid to seven points.
Spanish midfielder Dani Olmo scored the decisive goal just 41 seconds into the second half, giving Barcelona the breakthrough after a frustrating first period where they registered 24 shots without scoring.
Mallorca’s goalkeeper Leo Román was in stellar form, making crucial saves to deny Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres in the first half.
Despite Barcelona’s relentless pressure — including four shots within a 15-second flurry — the visitors held firm until Olmo’s early second-half strike broke the deadlock.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick made seven changes to the starting lineup, keeping Saturday’s Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid in mind. Raphinha and Fermín López were introduced in the second half to add attacking depth.
Even as Barcelona pushed for a second goal, Román made 11 saves to keep Mallorca in the contest. However, the visitors were unable to find an equalizer, rarely troubling the Barça goal.
Barcelona ended the match with a staggering 40 shots — the most by any team in a single La Liga match this season. In contrast, Mallorca struggled to make meaningful attempts on goal.
With this win, Barcelona move to 76 points after 33 games. Real Madrid can close the gap to four points if they defeat Getafe on Wednesday.
Mallorca, who are also chasing a Europa League spot, remain in seventh place with 44 points — one more than Celta Vigo, who have a game in hand. In another fixture, Valencia and Espanyol played out a 1-1 draw.
