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Barcelona eased to a comfortable 3-0 win over 10-man RCD Mallorca in La Liga on Sunday, May 28.
Having already wrapped up the league title, Barcelona manager Xavi continued to rotate his squad, making five changes. Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba came into the side for what was their last game at Camp Nou.
Barcelona made a fantastic start, scoring within the first minute. Gavi made a great run to latch on to a pass from Robert Lewandowski before setting up Ansu Fati for a simple tap-in.
The Blaugrana continued to apply pressure throughout the first half. It turned from bad to worse for the visitors when Amath Ndiaye seemed to hit Alejandro Balde with a risky challenge.
The winger was initially shown a yellow but VAR review upgraded the offense to a red, reducing Mallorca to 10 men. Balde had to be withdrawn after the challenge, with Sergi Roberto replacing the youngster.
Soon after, Barcelona capitalised on their numbers advantage by doubling the lead. Yet again, it was Ansu Fati, calmly slotting home past the keeper from a pass from Lewandowski (24').
Xavi's side continued to pound Mallorca's goal, with Fati almost completing his hat-trick in the first half, only to be denied by the keeper.
The second half had more of the same, with Ousmane Dembele having a header cleared off the line. Lewandowski then hit the post as Barcelona drew closer to a third goal.
Their efforts finally paid off as Gavi bagged the side's third of the night with some brilliant play in the box. He received the ball from Dembele, switched it onto his left and fired an effort into the top corner to make it 3-0 (70').
The Blaugrana closed out the game to make it a farewell to remember for club legends Busquets and Alba, winning 3-0. Here are five talking points from the game.
#5 The early red card killed the game
Coming into the game, Mallorca could have had a sliver of hope to bag a positive result against Barcelona. The Blaugrana had lost two on the trot after securing the La Liga title, and a win could have put them in the conversation for European qualification. However, a sending-off for Ndiaye in just the 14th minute meant they were on the back foot for most of the game.
#4. Barcelona's record-breaking defense
A key part behind Barcelona's strong season has been their impenetrable defence. Xavi's side have conceded just 18 goals this season, tied for the lowest number of goals conceded in a season ever. They already hold the record for most clean sheets in a La Liga season with 26.
#3. A farewell to remember for Busquets and Alba
Club legends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba suited up for what was going to be their last home game for the club. The pair are set to leave the Catalan side at the end of the season and received great applause from the fans as they were introduced. Both received standing ovations when they were taken off. Alba was visibly emotional at the time.
#2. Temporary farewell to Camp Nou as well
The game marked the last time Xavi's side would play at Camp Nou for a while. The stadium is being upgraded, which means the Blaugrana will play their home games at the Montjuic Olympic Stadium for the 2023-24 season. The iconic stadium is set to receive an increase in capacity from 95,000 to over 105,000. A roof is also being added.
#1. Barcelona break a bad run with a strong performance
Having secured the La Liga title, Barcelona lost two consecutive games. One of them was at home to fourth-placed Real Sociedad, while the other was one of their worst performances this season, a 3-1 loss to relegation-threatened Real Valladolid.
Against Mallorca, however, the Blaugrana bounced back well and showed why they were able to win La Liga with games to spare. They regularly threatened the Mallorca goal and should have scored more and were impenetrable defensively.
