All Bar�a�s football

Match

Marcador del partit

Date: Saturday, 05 Jan
Competition: ???label.competicio0???
Stadium: Estadi Iberostar, Palma de Mallorca

Resultat:

RCD Mallorca: 0
FC Barcelona: 2

Match report

Match Report
Pre-Match

Match Report

The goals

0-1 M�rquez (min. 63)
0-2 Eto’o (min. 92)

Effectiveness leads to triumph (0-2)

Vanessa Forns

A highly effective Barcelona got the 2008 league programme off to a terrific start by beating Mallorca 2-0. M�rquez put Bar�a ahead on 63 minutes and Eto�o finished off the job deep into injury time.

Bar�a got back into winning ways with a 2-0 victory at Mallorca, and thus took three important points to put the pressure on Real Madrid. It was just the boost for morale that the team needed at a time when there is simply no more margin for error. This was the sixth year in a row that Bar�a have come back victorious from a trip to the Balearics.

With Ronaldinho out through injury, Frank Rijkaard opted to start Giovani in his first eleven. Gudjohnsen took his now usual midfield role while the game would also see the return to action of Thierry Henry, while Edm�lson played his first league game for over half a year.

FC Barcelona dominated the first half possession but struggled to create danger in attack. Mallorca were well positioned on the park and did their best to create pressure, at the same time leaving very little room for the visitors to manoeuvre. Gregorio Manzano’s side was also threatening on the counter attack, but the deadlock held fast.

Few chances

Mallorca fired the first warning shot in the 9th minute with a G�iza strike from within the area that failed to hit the target. Bar�a immediately responded with an Iniesta effort in the 14th minute, but one that did little to trouble Mallorca keeper Lux. Mallorca’s closest chance came in the 22nd minute when Basinas almost surprised Vald�s with a low shot from the edge of the area that skimmed wide off the post. Six minutes later, Vald�s dealt easily with a free kick taken by Arango.

With the first half drawing to a close, Bar�a had three consecutive opportunities. A high header by M�rquez in the 36th minute was followed by a Xavi free kick that sailed over the crossbar on the back of an impeccable assist from Eto’o, and on the stroke of half time Iniesta tried again, this time from long range. But neither side had opened their account as the whistle blew for the break.

Bar�a up it in attack

After the restart, Frank Rijkaard opted to power up his forward line by sending Bojan on for Gudjohnsen. Five minutes into the half and Tour� Yaya was shown a yellow card for a foul on Jon�s which means he will be suspended for the next match. The half began as a carbon copy of the first, with few goalscoring chances, but Bar�a more incisive up front. But everything Barcelona concocted came stuck against the rock solid Mallorca defence.

M�rquez opens the scoring

But Barcelona tried and tried and eventually got their reward. In the 63rd minute M�rquez, unmarked at the near post, headed a Xavi corner past a hapless Lux.

Henry and Edm�lson back

Just after the goal, Henry substituted Giovani to make his first appearance since November 24 against Recreativo. The night also marked the return of Edm�lson, who played midweek against Alcoyano and was back for his first league outing since his injury. Coming on in the 69th minute, this was his first league match since May 26.

Referee Ram�rez Dom�nguez disallowed a Thierry Henry goal in the 74th minute, but the French international was certainly revitalising things for a Bar�a side occasionally bereft of ideas. Henry then brought the best out in Lux with a strike that was turned behind for a corner. As the game went into the last quarter of hour, Bar�a settled down and concentrated more on keeping their lead.

Eto'o sentences affairs

The game was as good as over when, two minutes into injury time, Samuel Eto'o bagged Bar�a’s second with a powerful drive from outside the area to round off a move started by Bojan and involving a delightful through ball from a highly active Thierry Henry. Thus it ended 2-0 to Bar�a, meaning 2008 has started with three absolutely crucial away points.

Preview

The referee

The match official is Rafael Ram�rez Dom�nguez, from Cordoba, who has refereed 7 games this season, but none of those matches have involved FC Barcelona. So far, games he has reffed have resulted in 5 home wins and 2 draws.

Going for glory

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Bar�a visit the Ono Stadium in their first game of 2008 with their eyes on all three points to keep up their title challenge.

There can be nothing better to start the new year than a series of wins and it all starts tonight at the Ono Stadium in Mallorca (20:00, Bar�a TV and Radio Bar�a). Rijkaard’s side desperately needs 3 points from their trip to the islands to keep up the pressure on the league leaders.

Henry and Edm�lson

Two players likely to return to league action are Henry and Edm�lson. The former has missed the last 4 league outings and was left out of the game against Real Madrid, despite being named in the squad. Edm�lson, meanwhile, played 90 minutes in the cup against Alcoyano after being sidelined for seven months. Against Mallorca he may make his first appearance since the match with Getafe on May 26, 2007. The Brazilian is likely to regain a regular starting place when Tour� Yaya goes off to play in the African Nations Cup. Also selected has been Bar�a B’s Oier Olaz�bal as the first choice replacement goalkeeper following the injury to Albert Jorquera.

A tough January

The Mallorca game is the second of a heavy schedule of games in January. After playing Alcoyano on Wednesday, Bar�a have several cup matches to play along with their league commitments. Next up are games home and away to Sevilla, as well as league fixtures with Murcia, Racing and Athletic Club, and possible Cup quarter final matches.

Two points in 4 games

2007 did not end at all well for Mallorca. The Islanders only collected 2 out of 12 possible points, from draws at home to Murcia (1-1) and Osasuna (0-0).

G�iza in form

But Mallorca’s last game raised morale among Manzano’s ranks. The reds made it into the next round of the cup with a fine performance against Osasuna with two goals from Dani G�iza. The Andalusian is on song at the moment and has scored a total of 8 goals this season. Two other outstanding players are Venezuelan Juan Arango, who has scored 5 goals, and Argentinian Ariel Ibagaza, with 4.

Problems at the back

Mallorca’s main concerns are in defence, where they have the fourth poorest record in the first division. They have let in 27 goals, a record only surpassed by Valencia and Zaragoza on 28 and Levante on 33.