The referee José Luis Munuera sent off Manu Morlanes and Vedat Muriqi in the clash between RCD Mallorca and FC Barcelona for the inaugural matchday of LaLiga EA Sports. These expulsions occurred when the 'azulgrana' team had a comfortable lead in the first half, equaling the record in the last season.
The expulsion of Manu Morlanes came due to a double warning. He received the first yellow card after complaining to the referee in the 24th minute, as the match continued while his teammate Antonio Raíllo was on the ground, a play that ended in a goal by Ferran Torres, making it 0-2.
In the 33rd minute, he committed a bad tackle on Lamine Yamal, and José Munuera quickly showed him the second yellow card, sending him off. In the 39th minute, the Kosovar Vedat Muriqi was expelled after his foot made contact with the face of Joan García. VAR called the referee to confirm the aggression of the '7' from Bermellón, leaving the Balearic club with nine players before halftime.
Barça only played with superiority in 2 matchdays of LaLiga 24/25
It is uncommon for rival players to be sent off in a Barça match. What happened on Saturday was an isolated event. In LaLiga EA Sports 24/25, only two players were sent off in the entire season in Barça matches, unlike this season where it happened in a single match.
The 'blaugrana' club had to wait until matchday 26 against Real Sociedad (4-0) for a player from the opposing team to receive a red card. Ariz Elustondo committed a foul on Dani Olmo, who was one-on-one with the goalkeeper in the 17th minute.
The second expulsion came on matchday 36 in the Cornellà derby, when Leo Cabrera left the field after an aggression against Lamine Yamal. That afternoon, FC Barcelona was crowned LaLiga champion after a 0-2 victory.
How many expulsions did Barça suffer in 24/25?
In contrast, the team led by Hansi Flick saw three red cards in the entire previous season. Ferran Torres was the first punished of the season on matchday 5 against Girona in Montilivi, when the match was already decided with a clear 1-4 in favor of the 'azulgrana' club.
Marc Casadó was expelled on matchday 14 against Celta de Vigo. Barça had a 0-2 lead in Balaídos before the midfielder's expulsion, and the Galician team took advantage of the numerical inferiority to tie the match. The round of expulsions closed with the red card to Fermín López on matchday 23 against Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán.
The next match for the 'culé' will be on Saturday, August 23 against Levante, again away from home. Will they surpass the record of expulsions to rival players in just two matchdays?