Marcus Rashford made his competitive debut for Barcelona as the reigning La Liga champions began their title defence with a contentious 3-0 win over a depleted Mallorca side reduced to nine men.

Raphinha opened the scoring with a well-placed header, connecting with a precise cross from teenager Lamine Yamal on the right flank.

Barcelona’s second goal came in dramatic fashion when Ferran Torres fired home while Mallorca captain Antonio Raillo lay injured in the penalty area, having blocked a Yamal effort with his head. 

The incident sparked protests from Mallorca players, leading to Manu Morlanes receiving a yellow card for dissent. Moments later, Morlanes was dismissed after picking up a second booking for a foul on Yamal.

The hosts were further reduced when Vedat Muriqi was sent off for a dangerous high boot on debutant goalkeeper Joan Garcia. Initially shown a yellow card, the decision was upgraded to red following a VAR review.

Despite their numerical advantage, Barcelona took until stoppage time to find a third goal, with Yamal capping his performance by drilling in a late strike.

Rashford entered the fray in the 69th minute, becoming the first Englishman to play a competitive match for Barcelona’s senior team since Gary Lineker in 1989. The 27-year-old, on loan from Manchester United for the season, featured as a central striker but failed to register any scoring opportunities.

Both Rashford and Garcia were only officially registered with La Liga hours before kick-off due to ongoing financial constraints at the Catalan club.
 
Source: BBC

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