Barcelona Thrash Mallorca to Extend Lead on Real Madrid
Barcelona ended their three-game winless streak in style, thrashing Mallorca 5-1 on the road to move four points clear of Real Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
Raphinha was the star of the show, scoring twice in the second half to inspire his team to a convincing victory after the first half was tied at 1-1.
The visitors took an early lead through Ferran Torres, who capitalized on a defensive mix-up to score in the 12th minute. However, Mallorca drew level on the stroke of halftime, courtesy of Vedat Muriqi’s strike.
The game changed in the second half, as Raphinha took center stage. The Brazilian winger scored his first goal from the penalty spot in the 56th minute, after Lamine Yamal was fouled in the box.
Raphinha then doubled his tally in the 74th minute, slotting in a sublime cross from Yamal to put the Catalans 3-1 up.
Barcelona’s substitutes added gloss to the victory, with Frenkie de Jong and Pau Victor scoring two goals in five minutes to give the visitors a commanding 5-1 lead.
The win marked a welcome return to form for Barcelona, who had stumbled in recent weeks.
Hansi Flick’s decision to start Torres ahead of top scorer Robert Lewandowski paid off as the young forward repaid the faith with a crucial goal.
Barcelona will look to build on this momentum when they travel to Real Betis on Saturday.