Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal scored as Barcelona cruised to a 3-0 win over Mallorca on Saturday, moving four points clear at the top of La Liga.
The champions stretched their advantage over second-placed Real Madrid ahead of the latter’s trip to Valencia on Sunday. Marc Bernal added a late third at a partially reopened Camp Nou stadium.
Mallorca threatened early, with Vedat Muriqi sliding in at the back post but hitting the side netting, while Jan Virgili’s effort was saved by Joan Garcia. Barcelona struggled for rhythm initially, with Marcus Rashford testing the opposition after cutting in from the left, curling just wide.
The opener came on 29 minutes following a blocked shot from Rashford. Dani Olmo’s rebound found Lewandowski, who finished from close range. Rashford continued to pose a threat, seeing a free-kick tipped onto the bar by Mallorca keeper Leo Roman. Yamal missed a close-range chance after Jules Kounde’s rebound, but the 18-year-old redeemed himself in the second half with a stunning strike from outside the area that left Roman helpless.
Barcelona could have extended their lead further, with Marc Casado hitting the crossbar with a deflected effort. At the other end, Garcia kept Mallorca in check with a key save to deny Antonio Sanchez. Bernal wrapped up the victory late, calmly finishing after breaking behind the Mallorca defence and slotting home with the aid of a deflection.
Elsewhere on Saturday, La Liga postponed Rayo Vallecano’s home match against Real Oviedo due to poor pitch conditions at the Vallecas stadium. Sevilla’s home fixture against Girona, originally scheduled for 17:30 GMT, was also moved to Sunday because of adverse weather.
AFP
