Barcelona kicked off the defense of their La Liga crown with a 3-0 victory at Mallorca on Saturday, capitalizing on two first-half red cards for the hosts.

Raphinha and Lamine Yamal combined in the seventh minute to open the scoring, with Yamal’s curling cross met by a close-range header from the Brazilian forward. Ferran Torres doubled the lead in the 23rd minute with a long-range strike that sparked protests from Mallorca players, who argued play should have been stopped after teammate Antonio Raíllo was struck in the head during the buildup.

“The ball hit my head and I got dizzy. I tried to get up and I couldn't. The referee should have stopped the game,” Raíllo said. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick acknowledged Mallorca’s frustration but stressed that players must continue until the referee halts play.

Mallorca’s problems deepened when Manu Morlanes was sent off in the 33rd minute for a second yellow after fouling Yamal, before Vedat Muriqi received a red card in the 39th following a VAR review for a dangerous high boot on Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García.

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Yamal sealed the result in stoppage time with a superb strike into the top corner. Barcelona played without Robert Lewandowski, sidelined by injury, while new signing Marcus Rashford made his debut as a second-half substitute. García, signed from Espanyol, started in goal with Marc-André ter Stegen recovering from back surgery. Young defender Jofre Torrents also debuted.

Elsewhere, Valencia were held 1-1 at home by Real Sociedad after Diego López’s opener was canceled out by Takefusa Kubo. Alaves edged Levante 2-1 with a stoppage-time goal from Nahuel Tenaglia. On Friday, Rayo Vallecano defeated Girona 3-1 and Villarreal beat promoted Oviedo 2-0. Atletico Madrid visit Espanyol on Sunday, while Real Madrid host Osasuna on Tuesday.

Source: Agency