Barcelona opened their LaLiga title defense with a 2-0 lead over Mallorca in a match filled with controversy. Raphinha scored the opener and Ferran Torres added a second, but both goals sparked heated protests from the home side.
Raphinha’s first-half strike came after Lamine Yamal kept a ball in play near the sideline. Mallorca players insisted it had gone out, but after a VAR review, referee Jose Munuera Montero confirmed the goal.
Later, Torres doubled Barcelona’s advantage after Yamal’s shot was blocked by Antonio Raillo, who stayed on the ground injured. While Mallorca called for play to be stopped, the referee allowed the sequence to continue, and Torres capitalized.
The goal initially appeared as if it might be overturned, but Munuera Montero once again confirmed it after a VAR check, leaving Mallorca furious as Barcelona pulled ahead 2-0.
A first half full of controversy
The goals weren’t the only source of controversy in the first half. The home side also suffered the expulsions of Manu Morlanes and Vedat Muriqi, leaving Mallorca with nine players on the field for the entire second half.
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Morlanes had received his first booking in the 23rd minute and just 10 minutes later was shown a second yellow for a foul on Lamine Yamal, resulting in Mallorca’s first sending-off.
Six minutes after that, Muriqi challenged Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia outside the box, arriving late and catching him in the face with his boot. Referee Montero initially showed a yellow card, but after a VAR review, upgraded it to a red, reducing Mallorca to nine men.
