FC Barcelona B v Mallorca (2-4): Painful defeat

Barça B lost to Mallorca despite getting Saturday evening’s game back to 2-2 with 20 minutes to play. A controversial penalty put the visitors ahead just when Barça B were playing their best football and Marco Asensio finished off the job for Mallorca. The loss leaves the reserves in the relegation zone with 28 points.

Mallorca start strong

Mallorca played an intense, disciplined first half and had the home side under pressure from the start. The first goal was an unlucky one to concede when Grimaldo turned a corner into his own net after 23 minutes and just three minutes later it was 2-0 to the islanders when Xisco latched onto a killer pass on the edge of the area and slammed the ball passed Suárez.

Barça B needed to react and the response came when their most active player, Adama, was brought down in the area. Patric did the duties and converted the penalty, what went down as the only shot, or indeed occasion of any form, that the reserves managed in the whole first 45 minutes.

Grimaldo equalises

It was a very different Barça that came out after the break. They now controlled the possession and created all the danger. Grimaldo sent a free kick onto the post and shortly after Sergi Juste headed wide by mere centimetres.

With 20 minutes to go, Jordi Vinyals decided to boost his midfield by sending on Bicho and Gumbau in the places of Joan Román and Diagne. It was just after that change that Adama broke down the right and beat two opponents before sliding the ball into the area. Grimaldo broke free from his marker to reach the ball first and struck home to get the game back level at 2-2.

Penalty controversy

But just when it looked like Barça B were on the verge of a famous comeback, the referee awarded a penalty against Juste – a decision that was vehemently protested by the players and Miniestadi crowd alike. Joselu scored from the spot, and not long after Marco Asensio found the net for Mallorca’s fourth from a perfectly executed free-kick. And so it ended. A disappointing 4-2 home defeat that does nothing to help Barça B in their battle against the drop.