Barcelona cruise past nine-man Mallorca in La Liga opener but Flick unimpressed with team’s effort

Spanish champions Barcelona began their La Liga title defence with a comfortable 3-0 win away at Mallorca on Saturday, taking full advantage of two red cards to their hosts.

Despite the scoreline, new head coach Hansi Flick voiced dissatisfaction with his team’s intensity during the second half.

“They’re three important points, but I didn’t like the match,” Flick told Movistar. “After going two goals up and following Mallorca’s two red cards, I think the team only gave 50 percent and I didn’t like that. Playing at 50 or 60 per cent is not possible against nine players.”

Barcelona got off to a quick start, taking the lead in the 7th minute when Lamine Yamal crossed for Raphinha, who headed home. Yamal, one of two Ballon d’Or nominees in the squad alongside Raphinha, was again involved in the second goal in the 23rd minute. After his shot was partially cleared by Mallorca defender Antonio Raillo, Ferran Torres pounced on the loose ball and fired in from the edge of the box.

The goal sparked protest from Mallorca players, who believed play should have been stopped when Raillo fell injured during the sequence. “If I would be on the other side of the decision I also would be not happy,” said Flick. “But I always say to my team until the referee stops the match we have to continue. The referee didn’t stop the match, so there you go.”

Manu Morlanes, one of the most vocal dissenters, received two yellow cards — one for protesting and another for a reckless challenge on Yamal — and was sent off in the 33rd minute.

Six minutes later, Mallorca were reduced to nine when Vedat Muriqi was shown a straight red for a dangerous high boot that struck debutant goalkeeper Joan Garcia in the face.

With a two-goal lead and a two-man advantage, Barcelona dominated the second half. Marcus Rashford, whose La Liga registration was finalized only hours before kickoff, made his league debut as a second-half substitute.

Lamine Yamal capped off a standout performance in stoppage time, cutting across the top of the penalty area and curling a brilliant left-footed shot into the top corner with the last kick of the match.

“He surprises you every day. He’s a spectacular player,” Flick said of the teenage star.

Elsewhere in La Liga’s opening weekend, Valencia hosted Real Sociedad while Alaves faced Levante. Atletico Madrid are set to kick off their campaign on Sunday at home to Sevilla, while Real Madrid will wrap up the first round of matches on Tuesday against Osasuna.

On Friday, Jorge de Frutos scored the season’s first goal as Rayo Vallecano defeated 10-man Girona 3-1. Real Oviedo’s return to the top flight after 24 years ended in disappointment with a 2-0 defeat at Villarreal.