La Liga leaders Barcelona moved seven points clear of second-placed Real Madrid with a narrow 1-0 victory over Mallorca at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
With one eye on Saturday's Copa del Rey final, Hansi Flick opted to make wholesale changes for the midweek fixture, which enabled Ansu Fati to make his first start since October.
Fati was one of a number of players who went close to opening the scoring in a first period where Barcelona racked up 24 shots without any reward, partly thanks to the heroics of Mallorca goalkeeper Leo Roman.
Unfortunately for the shot-stopper, his resistance was broken within the first 60 seconds of the restart as Dani Olmo scored in back-to-back matches to give the Bluagrana a precious lead.
Barcelona continued to create chances, and Roman continued to make important stops to keep Mallorca's hopes alive of salvaging a point.
However, the visitors were unable to find an elusive equaliser, ensuring that the Blaugrana could celebrate a third consecutive league victory.
Real Madrid will have the chance to respond in Wednesday's meeting with Getafe, before the El Clasico rivals meet in Saturday's Copa del Rey showdown.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
Β© Imago
Flick would have been pleased to see his side collect maximum points after he ran the risk of rotating his side for the home fixture.
With that said, the Barcelona boss was surely concerned that his team failed to add to their tally, given the fact that they racked up 40 shots during the contest, perhaps missing the presence of the injured Robert Lewandowski.
From Mallorca's perspective, they may have been frustrated not to have troubled Barcelona on too many occasions at the opposite end of the pitch, failing to register a single shot on target.
However, the seventh-placed side will be grateful that the scoreline was not bigger, especially as a heavy defeat could have dented their confidence in their quest to secure European football.
BARCELONA VS. MALLORCA HIGHLIGHTS
Olmo goal vs. Mallorca (46th min, Barcelona 1-0 Mallorca)
Barca get the breakthrough to start the second half! π΅π΄
β Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) April 22, 2025
Dani Olmo delivers π₯
ππππ πππ‘ππ ππ¦ @sbk | 18+ | πππππ π πΊπππππ π ππ ππππ ππππ¦ pic.twitter.com/q7zsqdTqZj
After failing to take advantage of numerous chances in the first half, Barcelona require less than a minute to finally break the deadlock at the start of the second period. Olmo receives the ball in the box and neatly shifts it out of his feet before guiding a left-footed shot out of Roman's reach.
MAN OF THE MATCH - LEO ROMAN
Β© Imago
Roman may have ended up on the losing side, but he still produced an exceptional performance in his first La Liga appearance since the 5-1 defeat to Barcelona in December.
The 24-year-old was ultimately the key difference in the game, finishing with a 1-0 scoreline rather than a four or five-goal margin in Barcelona's favour.
Roman made 12 saves throughout the contest, including six from inside the box, in an impressive display against La Liga's best attacking side.
Olmo and Pedri also deserve praise for their performances, with the latter often at the centre of everything good about Barcelona's play in the narrow win.
BARCELONA VS. MALLORCA MATCH STATS
Possession: Barcelona 78%-22% Mallorca
Shots: Barcelona 40-4 Mallorca
Shots on target: Barcelona 13-0 Mallorca
Corners: Barcelona 13-2 Mallorca
Fouls: Barcelona 10-7 Mallorca
BEST STATS
5 - @FCBarcelona is, along with @SpursOfficial, the only team in the Top 5 European Leagues with five different players with +10 goals this season in all competitions (@lewy_official, @RaphinhaaV1, @Lamineeyamal__ , @FerranTorres20 and @daniolmo7). Collective. pic.twitter.com/9kBN6B5Uli
β OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 22, 2025
24 - @FCBarcelona have attempted 24 total shots (5 on target) in the first half against Mallorca, record for any team in a first half in @LaLiga without scoring since at least the 2003/04 season. Siege. pic.twitter.com/icJZK6sP0i
β OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 22, 2025
40 - @FCBarcelona have attempted 40 total shots against Mallorca, equaling the record in a single @LaLiga match since at least 2003/04 (40 for @realmadrid against Zaragoza in 2011). Prolific. pic.twitter.com/4hDy1gNNgs
β OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 22, 2025
WHAT NEXT?
After claiming maximum points, Barcelona will now put their title hopes on hold to focus on Saturday's Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid at Estadio La Cartuja in Sevilla.
As for the visitors, they will look to get their European bid back on track when they return to Catalonia for a meeting with Girona on May 5.
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