May 02, (THEWILL) – Barcelona won a relatively necessary victory over Mallorca on Sunday night, putting an unfavourable record behind them and regaining the upper hand in the fight for La Liga runner-up with a 2-1 win.
La Blaugrana leapfrogged Sevilla back into second place with their second win in four league games, and ended an unparalleled sequence of three successive defeats at the Camp Nou in a single season.
Memphis Depay and Sergio Busquets scored either side of halftime to give Barça a much-needed win, in which a more recognisably free-flowing and incisive type of play relieved the irritation caused by recent form.
Xavi Hernandez’s side got off to a strong start and, without the jitters that had crept into recent outings, were well worth their 25th-minute lead.
Within five minutes, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang forced Sergio Rico into a superb save with a close-range headed effort, and Ronald Araujo had a goal disallowed for offside in the 23rd minute, Depay snatched a well-deserved opener by clinically lashing the ball into the back of the net after racing onto Jordi Alba’s fantastic ball over the top.
Despite dominating possession, Barcelona did not have much success in front of goal, but with the Camp Nou heading back to some of its former glory, the Catalans came out for the second half full of optimism.
Busquets scored a rare goal eight minutes after the restart to increase his team’s lead. Assuming control after a rebounding shot came out to the edge of the box, the Spaniard took the ball in stride before surprising everyone with a fantastic left-footed swipe into Rico’s bottom corner.
The hosts, who appeared to be as relaxed as they could be, maintained control of the game and thought they had added a third with little under 20 minutes remaining. It came from the boots of Ferran Torres, who wheeled off in relief rather than celebration, despite his clumsy goal being called off for offside in the build-up.
However, minutes later, Ansu Fati made his long-awaited return from injury as the home crowd erupted in applause.
That joy was short-lived in the 79th minute, as Mallorca captain Antonio Raillo kneed in Salva Sevilla’s brilliant set-piece ball, setting up a tense closing stretch.
On the baize-like Camp Nou pitch, there was little excitement in the final minutes as the hosts controlled the game and reclaimed second place with a 2-1 triumph.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
