'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Barcelona strolled their way to a comfortable victory, with goals from Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Antoine Griezmann giving a convincing 5-2 victory over Real Mallorca at a packed Camp Nou.
The hosts went ahead in the 7th minute when Griezmann raced onto a trough-ball and showed great composure and expertise to calmly lift the ball over Manolo Reina to get his 5th goal of the campaign.
Ten Minutes later, it was 2-0 with none other than Lionel Messi getting his name on the scoresheet, turning around and finding the angle with a well-placed shot into the top right corner.
Ante Budumir halved the deficit for the visitors with a deflected strike in the 35th minute but quickfire goals by Messi and Suarez helped Barcelona take a 4-1 advantage into the break.
The Blaugarana's tempo was reduced in the second half, with Mallorca on the ascendancy and they deservedly pulled one back when Ante Budumir got his brace in the 64th minute but when it seemed that the game would end like that, Lionel Messi popped up to give Barcelona her third 5-2 LaLiga victory of the season at Camp Nou.
Here, we shall be highlighting five talking points from the highly entertaining fixture.
#5 Barcelona regain top spot
Real Madrid's 2-0 victory over Espanyol earlier in the day saw them temporarily go top of the table and the capital club would have had one eye on this fixture with a keen interest in Barcelona's result.
If they were, however, expecting a slip-up from the Catalans, they were woefully disappointed and Ernesto Valverde's men were largely untroubled in what was a relatively straightforward victory.
With the win, the defending champions head right back to the summit of the table and ahead of their crunch fixture with Real Madrid in 10 days time, they are looking good value to make it a three-peat in the league.
Also check out: La Liga La Liga fixtures La liga table 2019-20
#4 Ante Budimir proves his mettle at Camp Nou
Given the difference in size between the two sides, Real Mallorca came into the fixture as overwhelming underdogs and only the most deluded of fans would have expected the club to pick anything from a Camp Nou that is almost a fortress.
The most they would have realistically expected was to leave Barcelona with a respectable scoreline and this aim was achieved, with Ante Budimir playing a key role in this.
He was started alongside Real Madrid loanee Tafekusa Kubo and while the Japanese sensation might have put the Barcelona defense on the backfoot with his energetic and direct running, it was his strike partner who put them to the sword.
The 28-year-old got a brace on the night, with his first coming from a shot at the edge of the area although it took a massive deflection over the head of Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
His second was scored 20 minutes into the second half when he rose highest to head in a Fran Gamez cross and although he ended up on the losing side, Budumir can take solace in the fact that he stepped up to the plate at a Stadium as iconic as Camp Nou.
#3 Marc-Andre ter Stegen shows his versatility
Marc-Andre ter Stegen is easily one of the top three goalkeepers in the world and he possesses reflexes, handling, and a commanding aerial presence that makes him a joy to watch in goal.
However, beyond his goalkeeping talents with his hand, the German international is also very versatile and is arguably the quintessential definition of a 'modern goalkeeper', with his abilities with his feet almost matching those of his hand.
This dexterity with the ball at his feet makes him an essential component of Barcelona's play and more often than not, Ter Stegen acts as their first line of attack.
Against Mallorca, ter Stegen man showed the full range of his ability when he quickly found Antoine Griezmann with a pin-point diagonal ball from his box, totally bypassing the midfield and leaving the Frenchman with only Reina to beat.
Incredibly, this was his second assist of the season, as earlier in the campaign, he had also played in Luis Suarez in almost similar circumstances in the 2-0 victory over Getafe back in September.
Barcelona's utter dominance of the fixture meant that their goalkeeper was rarely tested but Ter Stegen would feel that he could have done better to keep out Ante Budumir's second goal.
#2 Barcelona's front three come to the party
Barcelona's attacking brilliance when Neymar was at the club is well documented, same with their struggle to replace him since he departed in the summer of 2017.
Antoine Griezmann became the latest to attempt to fill in the shoes of the Brazilian when he was signed from Atletico Madrid in July.
Things have, however, not gone as smoothly for the French international and he has struggled to match his lofty heights at the Camp Nou.
With Messi and Suarez having become a very compatible pair over the last five years, the question was always whether Greizmann would fit in and while he might have put in a lot of work on the field and shown flashes of his brilliance, the overwhelming consensus has been that he is yet to click with the two legends.
The 28-year-old had even fallen out of the starting XI in recent weeks but a hamstring injury to Ousmane Dembele saw him take to the fray against Dortmund and he opened his Champions League account with a 67th minute goal.
Against Espanyol, Griezmann opened the scoring, before Lionel Messi gave Barcelona a comfortable lead with two well-taken strikes.
Luis Suarez scored Barcelona's 4th when he completed a beautiful team move with an audacious back heel and with his goal, it meant that all three of Barcelona's marquee forwards got their names on the scoresheet.
It marked the third time this season (after Eibar and Dortmund) that this has happened and while they might still have some way to go before matching the standards set by 'MSN', Barcelona's newest front three showed that they have what it takes to recreate history.
#1 Messi shows his class yet again
Messi started the week by putting a resilient Atletico Madrid to the sword with a well-taken goal in a tense encounter and a day later, he rewrote the record books by becoming the first man in history to win six Ballon d'Ors.
An eventful week was capped off with the Argentine skipper downing Real Malloca with a well-taken hat-trick.
The first of his goals came in the 17th minute when he turned and found the top corner and he got his brace in the 41st minute in almost identical circumstances.
In a game that was eventful and full of drama, it was fitting that Messi had the last say in the match and his landmark moment came when he converted from an acute angle after being set up by friend and teammate Luis Suarez seven minutes from time.
Remarkably, the goal means that Lionel Messi scored his second LaLiga hat-trick of the season and 53rd of his career, placing him just one behind his illustrious rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
It took him to 12 goals and five assists from just 10 matches in the season and after starting his campaign on the sidelines, it is now back to business for the Rosario native and he currently tops the scorers' chart in Spain and looks on course for yet another Golden Boot triumph.
