Barcelona 4-2 Real Mallorca: Pedro Brace Steers Blaugrana To Win

Barcelona looked a bit off the pace in the opening minutes, but found the back of the net in their first chance on goal, 10 minutes into the game, when Zlatan Ibrahimovic picked up the ball near the edge of the box before sending a marvellous back-heel through ball to Pedro, who sent it past Aouate with ease.

Despite their early lead, the Blaugrana got relaxed and allowed Mallorca to equalise in the 19th minute through a header from Nunes following a corner from the right.

With Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi all on the substitutes' bench, Barcelona were finding it very hard to impose themselves on the match, and they would have to wait for the 40th minute to get back in the lead, once again through Pedro, who smashed it home following rebounds from Henry and Busquets denied by Aouate.

Barcelona scored their third of the night just moments before the break, when Pedro sent a free-kick from the left to the far post, where Busquets headed it across the face of the goal for Thierry Henry to score with a diving header.

The second period began at a slow place, with Barcelona looking to increase their lead even more as they introduced Messi for Pedro in the 51st minute. The Argentine wizard wasted little time to show his magic, and on 58 minutes sent in a free-kick from the right to Ibrahimovic, who jumped alone but his header went slightly wide of the left post.

Both sides looked just happy to let each other play for most of the first half, and Barcelona only piled the pressure in the last ten minutes of the match, resulting in a penalty on 86 minutes after Ibrahimovic was brought down in the area, which Messi successfully converted.

But that was not the end of it, as Alhassane Keita made it 4-2 in the 92nd minute with a low finish from inside the box after being played through by Castro.

Luís Mira, Goal.com