Dani Olmo scored the decisive goal as Barcelona dominated Mallorca, extending their lead at the top of La Liga.
The Spanish midfielder found the net just 41 seconds into the second half, following a frustrating first half where Barcelona failed to score despite taking 24 shots. Mallorca’s goalkeeper, Leo Roman, made impressive saves to deny both Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres before the break, as the visitors struggled to withstand Barcelona’s overwhelming pressure.
In a surreal moment, Roman and his defenders managed to fend off four shots from inside the penalty area within a span of just 15 seconds. Although Mallorca had only 22% possession in the first half, they did threaten Barcelonaâs high defensive line on three occasions but were ruled offside each time.
The home crowd expressed their frustration at halftime, but Olmo calmed nerves in the Estadi OlĂmpic LluĂs Companys with a composed left-footed finish. Hansi Flick made seven changes to his lineup, mindful of Saturday’s Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid, and introduced Raphinha and Fermin Lopez after the break as Barcelona sought a second goal. However, Roman made a total of 11 saves to keep his team in the match.
Barcelona took 40 shotsâthe highest number attempted by any La Liga side this seasonâwhile Mallorca failed to register a single shot on target.
As a result, Barcelona now holds a seven-point lead at the top of the table, with their closest challengers, Real Madrid, set to face Getafe on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Mallorca, chasing a place in the Europa League, sits seventh with 44 points, just one point ahead of Celta Vigo, who have played one game fewer.
