September 27, (THEWILL) – Barcelona were held to a 2-2 draw away at Mallorca on Tuesday night, in another disappointing result for the Catalan giants. Despite twice coming from behind, Barcelona could not find a winner and had to settle for a point.
Mallorca took a shock early lead after just 8 minutes when Vedat Muriqi finished off a goalmouth scramble. Barcelona struggled to respond but finally equalised through Raphinha on 41 minutes. However, their parity lasted barely a minute as Muriqi turned provider, setting up Abdon Prats to restore Mallorca’s lead right before halftime.
The second half saw Barcelona push for an equaliser, which finally came on 75 minutes. A low cross from Raphinha found substitute Fermin Lopez unmarked in the box and he hammered home to make it 2-2. Despite late pressure, Barcelona could not find a winner as Mallorca’s stubborn defence held firm.
The result means Barcelona are on top of the table but Girona and Real Madrid have games in hand and can snatch the lead from Barca. Manager Xavi will be disappointed with the performance and lack of cutting edge shown by his side. Standout players were Raphinha, who scored one and assisted the other, and teenager Lamine Yamal, who looked lively after coming off the bench.
The draw means Barcelona have now dropped points in two of their seven league games. With the title race hotting up, they can not afford many more slip-ups if they are to remain at the summit of La Liga.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
