Mallorca: Aouate; Ximo Navarro (Marc
Fernández 81'), Anderson Conceiçao, Geromel, Bigas; Tomás
Pina, Martí (Fontàs 72'); Nsue, Víctor Casadesus, Pereira;
Hemed (Alfaro 46'). 4-2-3-1.
Barcelona: Víctor
Valdés; Dani Alvés, Piqué, Mascherano (Marc Bartra 83'),
Jordi Alba (Montoya 86'); Xavi, Busquets, Fàbregas; David Villa (Alexis
65'), Messi, Tello. 4-3-3.
Goals:
0-1. 28. Xavi. Curled free kick over defensive wall
inside top corner of net.
0-2. 44. Messi. Shot from outside of area which
went through hands of Aouate.
0-3. 45. Tello. Cut in from left wing and
struck angled shot wide of keeper.
1-3. 55. Pereira. Controlled
Víctor's cross and fired shot past Víctor Valdés.
2-3.
58. Víctor (penalty). After Busquets handled ball inside penalty area.
2-4. 70. Messi. Fired shot wide of Aouate after Alexis chested ball back to
him.
Yellow cards: Martí 26', Busquets 57'.
Barcelona beat Mallorca 2-4 on Sunday night to make it ten wins and a draw in their first eleven games, equalling the best ever record which so far only Real Madrid had achieved in the past. There was a glimmer of hope for the locals early on when Víctor Valdés could only turn a Hemed header for a corner, but with just under half an hour on the clock Xavi opened the scoring with a free kick which he curled in to the top corner of the net. And with the first half coming to a close the game appeared to be out of Mallorca's reach after the visitors scored twice in a minute, Aouate letting a speculative shot from Messi through his hands, and Tello cutting in from the left wing to steer a low shot inside the far post. The Islanders came back though with two goals of their own in the first quarter of an hour after the restart, an unmarked Pereira picking up Víctor's lofted pass to fire a shot past Valdés, and Víctor himself getting the second from the penalty spot after Busquets had handled in the area. However with twenty minutes to go Alexis chested back a Dani Alves cross in to the path of Messi, who hammered the ball past Aouate to wrap things up. It was his 76th goal of the calendar year, taking him past Pelé's best ever record.