Barcelona began the title defense in La Liga with a convincing win over Mallorca

• Barcelona secured a 3-0 victory over Mallorca in the opening match of La Liga.
• Rafinha and Yamal were the main heroes of the match, scoring the goals.
• Mallorca was left with fewer players after two red cards in the first half.

Barcelona successfully began their title defense in La Liga, achieving a comfortable 3-0 victory over Mallorca in a match held on August 16, 2025. The team quickly opened the scoring thanks to a goal from Rafinha, who struck early in the match. Lamine Yamal added a precise finish, after which a Brazilian forward scored a goal.

Later, in the 23rd minute, Ferran Torres scored a second goal from long range. However, this moment sparked protests from the Mallorca players, as one of them fell to the pitch after a challenge on the ball. The referee allowed the game to continue, disregarding the players' protests.

After ten minutes, Mallorca was still down a player when Manu Morlanes received a second yellow card for a foul on Yamal. And in the 39th minute, Mallorca's forward Vedat Muriqi received a red card for a challenge on Barcelona's goalkeeper Juan García. After reviewing the video footage, the referee changed the yellow card to a red.

In the added time of the second half, Yamal finished the scoring, netting the third goal in the top corner of the net.

Barcelona played without their experienced forward Robert Lewandowski, who is injured. The new forward, Marcus Rashford, came on in the 69th minute.

García, the team’s new goalkeeper, had little work to do in his debut match, as the previous first-choice goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen underwent rehabilitation after surgery on his spine.

In other matches on the same day, Valencia faced Real Sociedad, while Levante played against Alaves. On August 15, Rayo Vallecano defeated Girona 3-1, and Villarreal beat Oviedo 2-0. Atlético Madrid plays against Espanyol on August 17, while Real Madrid hosts Osasuna on August 19.

Tags: Sport/Football/La Liga (Spanish league)