Spanish football: It was not a gift for "Real" (video)
In this article, you can learn about the main event that took place in the Spanish championship in the middle of the week, the goal in the game, and the situation in the tournament table.
La Liga. Round 33
“Barselona” — “Mallorca” 1:0
Goal: Olmo (46).
“Barselona” — Shesni, Garcia, Arauxo, Martinez, Fort (Martin, 77), Gavi, Pedri, Yamal (de Jong, 87), Olmo (Lopes, 62), Fati (Rafinha, 62), Torres (Victor, 77).
“Mallorca” — Roman, Morey, Vallent, Raillo, Kopete, Moxika (Lato, 81), Xosabed (Valeri, 81), Maskarel (Salas, 86), Koshta (Domenek, 66), Darder, Larin (Prats, 86).
Warning: Koshta (25).
In previous weeks, due to a tight schedule, "Real" threatened to boycott the games. Now, the leadership of the Catalan club has also lost its temper, and usually diplomatic Hansi Flick has also expressed his frustration towards those who create the schedule for the Spanish championship. It is understandable for the coach, as the team lost Lewandowski after Balde due to injuries. Now the Polish striker will miss both the Spanish Cup final against "Real" on Saturday and the two semifinals against "Inter" in the Champions League.
On Tuesday evening, in a match against "Mallorca," which has been having a weak season and has not won in the Catalonia capital for 17 years, the blue-burgundies rotated their squad. In the starting lineup, Erik Garcia, Fort, and even Ansu Fati found places in the central defense position. This trio had a total of more than thirty minutes of playing time since the beginning of this year. Fati had not been seen in the starting lineup since October 20 of last year. His mistakes in the first half can also be explained by the lack of playing time. The left-wing player, who found himself in a very comfortable position just before the break, missed a great opportunity.
Other Catalan players also failed to take advantage of their chances, as the team sent 24 shots in the first half (5 of which were on target) but could not change the zeros on the scoreboard. The Opta statistics company, which has been tracking La Liga games since 2003, noted that there had never been a first half without a goal after so many shots. However, right at the beginning of the second half, Dani Olmo, who appeared in a favorable position in the penalty area, passed the ball through the defenders and accurately aimed for the far corner. Olmo became the fifth player of "Barsa" to score more than ten goals this season, following Rafinha, Lewandowski, Yamal, and Ferran Torres.
The situation forced "Mallorca" to stop their deep defense in a 5-4-1 formation and open up. Several attacks from the guests showed that the blue-burgundies had problems in the second tier. Arrasate's pupils managed to dominate in aerial duels in the penalty area, but nothing dangerous happened for the hosts. Yamal could have resolved the game, but he also failed to capitalize on a one-on-one situation. He either overestimated himself or misjudged Roman's capabilities – he could not deceive the goalkeeper with a clever trick.
In the second half, "Barsa" also achieved a significant advantage in shots – 16:4 (8:0 in shots on target), with an xG of 1.47 against 0.25. Although the Catalans kept their fans on edge until the end of the game, they maintained the winning score and increased the gap to seven points until the end of "Real's" game today. Hansi Flick's pupils are recording their best streak in the last three years and have not lost in fourteen rounds (+12=2). The title is getting closer.
