FC Barcelona successfully passed the first test of the season in LaLiga, defeating Mallorca by a wide margin, 3-0. Hansi Flick's side started the match by scoring quickly, taking the lead in the 7th minute. Later, in the 23rd minute, Ferran Torres extended the lead, while Lamine Yamal sealed the match in stoppage time.
Despite the lopsided victory, many voices, especially from Madrid, have been critical of José Luis Munuera, the referee of the match.
They point out various actions that could've benefited Barça, many of them making no sense at all. For the 0-1, they claim the ball went out of bounds when Lamine Yamal started his run and, as could be seen, it didn't go out completely. For the next goal, they're upset with the referee for not stopping the match when Raíllo cleared a ball with his head and threw himself to the ground to waste time. The simulation was obvious when he sprang up as soon as the 0-2 was allowed to stand.
Later, he showed Morlanes a second yellow card for a tackle from behind on Lamine, after having received the first for complaining about the 0-2. The expulsion of Muriqi for raking his studs across Joan García's face also wasn't well received in the capital, as the referee had to review the action on VAR because he initially showed a yellow card.
Jota Jordi doesn't hold back, clear response
After all the criticism, mainly from Madrid, Jota Jordi has spoken out. The panelist from "El Chiringuito" was blunt, sending a clear message to those who criticize the refereeing in the Mallorca-Barça match.
"STOP CRYING," Jota Jordi wrote on his X account, accompanying the message with up to four laughing emojis.
Barça keeps its path
"Madrid-Barcelona" has been able to confirm from reliable Barça sources that there will be no statement on the matter. They are clear that the victory was completely clean... They emphasize that "it's not their fault" that Mallorca's players assumed the play would be stopped for the second goal.
There is total calm, although Hansi Flick is upset about how events unfolded. He made it clear in the post-match press conference: with two more players on the field, you can't go at 50%. Barça should've gone all out for a bigger result and ended up settling for taking it easy.