Yamal stunner seals win over nine-man Mallorca
Lamine Yamal scored his first goal of the new LaLiga season as Barcelona thumped nine-man Mallorca 3-0 to begin the defence of its title in fine style.
Mallorca was up against it early when Yamal found Raphina at the far post with a fine cross, the Brazilian nodding home on seven minutes to open the scoring.
Ferran Torres doubled the lead on 23 minutes with a drive from the edge of the box, which proved to be a controversial goal.
Yamal had driven a shot into the face of Mallorca Antonio Raillo, who collapsed to the ground, but play was allowed to continue when normally head knocks force a pause in play, but despite protestations from the home side and a video assistant referee (VAR) check, Ferran's goal was allowed to stand.
Things went from bad to worse for Mallorca thereafter as Manu Morlanes was shown a second yellow card on 33 minutes for a foul on Yamal, which subsequently led to his dismissal.
Barely five minutes later, Vedat Muriqi was also dismissed after kicking Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia in the face while challenging for the ball, his initial red card upgraded to a straight red after a VAR review.
Having been left with nine men on the field for the entire second half, it was never going to be easy for Mallorca to compete with the defending LaLiga champion, which dominated possession and chances for the duration.
Yamal then added gloss to the scoreline deep into stoppage-time with a sensational curling shot from the edge of the box into the top corner after cutting in from the right wing in characteristic style.
It was the perfect start for Barcelona, which even managed to get Marcus Rashford on for the last 20 minutes after his registration was confirmed prior to kick-off, allowing Hansi Flick to add him to his squad for the match.
