RCD Mallorca 0-3 FC Barcelona: A "10" debut for the League champion

FC Barcelona started with a victory in LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26 thanks to a comfortable thrashing at Son Moix against Mallorca (0-3). Hansi Flick's team came out with practically the same XI as the Joan Gamper Trophy, with the exception of Ferran Torres as '9' instead of Marcus Rashford.

After a week with a lot of movement in the offices to resolve the registrations of the '14' and Joan García, Barça had a quiet afternoon in Palma to start the season on the right foot. The team maintains its verticality and constant pressure in the opponent's half, as well as its lethality in the opponent's area.

In the end, the hierarchy of the Blaugrana team prevailed early on the scoreboard. Mallorca, victim of individual errors and some bad luck, lost all hope of even aspiring to a draw after half an hour of play. The Culés, as a curious fact, used their second kit from last season, by imposition of LaLiga.

Raphinha and Ferran put Barça ahead against an out-of-focus Mallorca

Barça took the lead with a header from Raphinha in the 7th minute. Lamine Yamal, the best of the Catalans in the first half, sent a cross to the far post, where the '11' appeared completely alone to finish with a header the cross at medium height from the Mataró native.

After the 0-1, Mallorca collapsed emotionally. Jagoba Arrasate's team opted for the strong leg to try to stop the good collective game of the Culés and the main referee José Luis Munuera had no choice but to start showing cards early. Mateu Morey was the first to be cautioned in the 9th minute, after a grab on Rafa.

In the 21st minute, Ferran Torres extended the score with a shot from medium distance. The goal was not without controversy, as seconds before the ball fell to the 'Shark' it seemed that the game was going to stop due to the knockdown of Antonio Raíllo.

The defender collapsed after deflecting a powerful shot from Lamine with his head, but the main referee never stopped the action and, therefore, the goal was totally legal. Manu Morlanes angrily protested the referee's decision, earning a yellow card.

José Luis Munuera goes to the VAR to review the action of the red card to Vedat Muriqi

To make matters worse, Morlanes himself would see the second card in the 33rd minute for a hard tackle on Yamal. The locals were left with ten, but there was still more bad news to come. In the 39th minute, a high leg from Vedat Muriqi when disputing a divided ball with Joan García led to the second expulsion of the afternoon.

The Kosovar managed to graze the neck of the Barça goalkeeper with his studs and, after reviewing the action on the monitor, Munuera had no choice but to send off the striker. Before the 40th minute, Mallorca was two goals down and with only nine players on the field.

Barça lowered the intensity in the second half

After the break, Hansi Flick put Dani Olmo in place of Fermín López. The Huelva native, MVP of the Gamper, went quite unnoticed in Son Moix. The '20', however, was close to scoring in the first play in which he participated, with a shot inside the area blocked by Valjent.

Jagoba Arrasate also sought the reaction of his players with the entry of Dani Rodríguez, Mateo Joseph and Omar Mascarell for Morey, Asano and Pablo Torre, the latter also with a weak performance against his former team. 

After a fairly quiet quarter of an hour for Mallorca, Barça returned to settle near the opponent's area around the 60th minute. Olmo demanded Leo Román with a shot from medium distance, while Raphinha also warned with a shot from the edge of the area that passed grazing the base of the post.

The Culés maintained a possession of more than 70% during almost the entire match, with Pedri and Frenkie controlling the pace of the game in midfield. The entry of Dani activated the Blaugrana attack again, while Ferran entered and left the area to associate with Rafa and Lamine.

Lamine Yamal's great goal could not be missing

In the 68th minute, Gavi and the youth player Jofre Torrents entered for Cubarsí and Balde, respectively. Eight minutes later it was the turn for Marcus Rashford, who made his debut replacing Ferran. Raphinha, cautioned in the second half, left his place to Jules Koundé to rearrange the defense.

The Blaugrana team continued looking for the third, but Leo Román reappeared with a great save to Pedri in the 84th minute. The goalkeeper could not repeat his stellar performance last season in Montjuïc (he made 11 saves), but avoided a greater difference for a team that played more than 50 minutes with nine.

Already in added time, the best goal of the afternoon fell. When not, Lamine Yamal, who seconds before had had a scuffle with a rival, took out one of his classic left-footed shots from outside the area to close a '10' debut. Leo Román did not even manage to dive, knowing that the bombshell was unstoppable.

In the end, FC Barcelona debuted with a comfortable thrashing against a decimated, but always combative rival. Next Saturday it is time to visit Levante and, later, Rayo before the first break of 25/26. In mid-September, hopefully already back at the Spotify Camp Nou, it will be the turn to receive Valencia.

Match sheet: RCD Mallorca 0-3 FC Barcelona

• RCD Mallorca, 0: Leo Román; Mateu Morey (Mascarell, min. 46), Raillo, Valjent, Mojica; Morlanes, Antonio Sánchez, Darder (Salas, min. 83), Pablo Torre (Rodríguez, min. 46); Asano (Joseph, min. 46) and Muriqi.
• FC Barcelona, 3: Joan García; Eric Garcia, Araujo, Cubarsí (Gavi, min. 68), Balde (Torrents, min. 68); De Jong, Pedri; Fermín López (Olmo, min. 46), Raphinha (Koundé, min. 77), Lamine Yamal; Ferran Torres (Rashford, min. 77).
• Goals: 0-1, Raphinha (min. 7). 0-2, Ferran Torres (min. 23); 0-3, Lamine Yamal (min. 90+4).
• Referee: José Luis Munuera. He sent off Manuel Morlanes (double yellow) and Vedat Muriqi (straight red in the first half). 
• Stadium: Son Moix (Palma, Mallorca)
• Incidents: match corresponding to matchday 1 of LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26.