Barcelona 3-0 Mallorca: Lewandowski and Yamal on the scoresheet as Barça move four points clear of Real Madrid | OneFootball

Barcelona claimed a 3-0 win against Mallorca at the Spotify Camp Nou on Saturday, extending their lead over Real Madrid at the top of the LaLiga table to four points.

A strong start from the relegation-threatened visitors put Hansi Flick’s side under pressure, although Barça found the lead just before the half-hour mark through a close-range Robert Lewandowski finish and could have doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time.

They were dominant after the break but struggled to make chances count until a fierce Lamine Yamal strike from range left Leo Román stuck to the spot with an hour played. Marc Bernal bagged the third of the afternoon inside the final ten minutes.

Mallorca remain just two points above the relegation zone.

As it happened

Barcelona found themselves under pressure inside the opening ten minutes, with a Mallorca side in desperate need of points flooding forwards through Jan Virgili on the left flank.

The 19-year-old, who left Barcelona in search of minutes in the summer for a fee of £2.6m, proved to be a thorn in the side of Jules Koundé throughout the first half.

After rising above the Frenchman inside the box, he forced Joan Garcia into action with a header before delivering an inch-perfect cross for talisman Vedat Muriqi five minutes later. The Kosovar forward stabbed his shot wide of the left post, though, and had strayed offside in the buildup.

Virgili threatened again when he cut inside of Koundé to pick out the bottom-left corner, forcing another fine save from Joan Garcia before the visitors earned a corner when Johan Mojica pressured Fermín López into putting the ball out of play.

Barça broke forward rapidly from that set-piece, but lacked their usual efficacy in attack and Lamine Yamal’s through ball from the right flank was cut out well by the Mallorca defence.

The on-loan Marcus Rashford burst into life from that point, sending a thunderous curling effort skipping just wide of the far post after cutting in from the left.

His next effort was almost identical in fashion, but forced a brief period of ping-pong inside the six-yard box and Robert Lewandowski took advantage, slotting home from close range after being teed up by Dani Olmo.

Rashford continued to pose a threat and came remarkably close to doubling Barça’s lead on the stroke of half-time with a free-kick. Leo Román managed to palm it away from danger though, with Yamal slicing the rebound wide of the target.

Barcelona’s strong spell continued into the second half, with Hansi Flick’s side unlucky not to double their lead through Marc Casadó and Dani Olmo, who saw their respective efforts rattle the crossbar and force Leo Román into action.

They found the breakthrough in emphatic style just after the hour mark when, following a corner, Olmo picked out Yamal in space on the edge of the box. The 18-year-old shifted centrally, rippling the back of the net with a thunderous effort that left the Mallorcan goalkeeper with no chance.

Marc Bernal found his way onto the scoresheet in the closing stages of the game, just 15 minutes after replacing Olmo. An impressive solo run from the halfway line allowed the 18-year-old Catalan midfielder to beat Leo Román from close range, slotting into the bottom-right corner to remove any remaining doubt about the result.

Analysis: Virgili gives Barça bosses questions to ponder

Jules Koundé was tormented by Jan Virgili throughout the first half of Saturday’s clash in the Catalan capital.

For Mallorca, the arrival of the explosive 19-year-old winger has proven to be a blessing. While he hasn’t yet found the back of the net since his arrival at Son Moix despite a flurry of chances, he has contributed four assists in the top flight and established himself as one of LaLiga’s most dangerous dribblers.

But while Mallorca are relishing the arrival of such a talented youngster, Barça are also watching eagerly. Virgili spent a season with Barça B ahead of his £2.6m move to the island – and the terms of his departure have left the cards firmly in the Blaugrana’s hands.

Barcelona do not have a buyback clause, but they’ve the next best thing: the right to match any offer made for the Vilassar native, and a 40% sell-on clause should he move elsewhere.

With Marcus Rashford’s situation still up in the air, the option to bring Virgili back to the club – or profit from his next transfer – represents a smart bit of business from Barça, who will undoubtedly continue to follow the 19-year-old’s development on the Balearics.