Barcelona 3-0 Mallorca: Fabulous Fati fires up Camp Nou farewell

Ansu Fati’s fabulous first-half double fired LaLiga champions Barcelona to victory in their Camp Nou farewell with a 3-0 win over Real Mallorca.

The Blaugrana signed off from their famous stadium in style, with Gavi also netting in a comfortable win over their 10-men visitors on Sunday.

In what was their final home game at their iconic ground before a temporary move to facilitate a lengthy renovation, Xavi’s side ensured they bade it a fitting goodbye.

After losses against Real Sociedad and Real Valladolid, it also marked an impressive return to form.

Barca needed less than a minute to carve open their visitors, with Fati tucking away a Gavi cutback following a neat Robert Lewandowski ball into the box.

Matters soon worsened for Mallorca, when Amath Ndiaye saw his yellow card upgraded to a red by VAR for a shocking foul on Alejandro Balde.

2 – Ansu Fati has scored the second earliest goal for @FCBarcelona at home in LaLiga in the 21st century (49 seconds), after Iniesta’s against Recreativo de Huelva in April 2009 (43 seconds). Riser. pic.twitter.com/9DOKQoxaIb

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) May 28, 2023

Fati doubled his tally after that with a close-range rocket off Lewandowski’s deft one-touch set-up, and Barca never looked like losing control from there on out.

Mallorca dug their heels in, but even then remained under siege, with Jules Kounde hitting the bar with a header shortly after the restart.

Lewandowski crashed a free-kick against the woodwork too, but Barca finally found their third when Gavi lashed a low finish beyond Dominik Greif.

There were standing ovations for Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets on their final home appearances, with the Camp Nou crowd rising to salute the club legends.

What does it mean? Camp Nou bows out… for now

Ever since it became the club’s home in 1957, Barcelona’s home ground has been synonymous with their success and place on the world stage.

It is fitting that they have signed off from the stadium in its current guise with another title this term, as well as delivering a near-flawless farewell performance.

Fantastic Fati

Amid media speculation over his future with the Blaugrana, Fati delivered a potent reminder of his prodigious talents.

Two goals from six shots, the joint-highest tally among his team-mates, saw the 20-year-old lead from the front.

Miserly Mallorca

The early loss of a man did not help the visitors’ cause, but even then, they were hemmed in and pegged back with alarming ease throughout.

They managed just three shots overall, half as many as Fati alone, and mustered a poor 21.6 per cent of possession.

What’s next?

Barcelona head to Celta Vigo to conclude their campaign, while Mallorca welcome Rayo Vallecano in their final game of the season.