Barcelona 1-0 Mallorca: Player ratings as Yamal screamer saves Blaugrana

Barcelona limped to an underwhelming 1-0 victory over Mallorca on Friday evening, with young Lamine Yamal to thank once again.

The teenager's glorious strike midway through the second half was a much-needed moment of magic for Barcelona, who dominated possession and had plenty of shots on goal without ever really showing any quality up until that moment.

Ilkay Gundogan missed a first-half penalty for Barcelona but the sensational Blaugrana fans will be delighted to escape with three points ahead of Tuesday's season-defining Champions League clash with Napoli.

How the game unfolded

Predictably, Barcelona dominated the possession battle early on but sights of the Mallorca goal were few and far between. It took 20 minutes for the first real action as Raphinha went down just inside the penalty area. The referee was urged to take a look at the incident and subsequently pointed to the spot after spotting a trip on the Brazilian's ankle.

Up stepped Gundogan, but his tame effort was comfortably pushed away by Predrag Rajkovic, before Cyle Larin helped scramble the ball clear.

Larin wasn't far off breaking the deadlock at the other end ten minutes later. Vedat Muriqi's flick-on had the Canada international stretching at the back post, and he was inches away from the sort of contact which could have caused Marc-Andre ter Stegen a real scare.

Joao Felix fizzed wide from range as Barcelona tried to knock on the door. The hosts did have plenty of shots on goal but few caused any real problems and Mallorca's back five will be delighted with their performance in the first half.

Muriqi sent a header crashing against the post early in the second half, before Lamine Yamal saw a ferocious strike tipped on to the crossbar by Rajkovic.

The introductions of Robert Lewandowski and Vitor Roque injected some life into Barcelona and the two substitutes combined as the former's cross was headed over the bar by the young Brazilian.

However, it was Yamal who finally saved the day. With 20 minutes to go, the youngster bent home a gorgeous goal from the edge of the penalty area which breezed into the top corner to hand all three points to Barcelona.

Barcelona player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 6/10 - Largely a bystander.

RB: Jules Kounde - 6/10 - Not massively involved but did make a handful of big interceptions when Mallorca threatened to make something happen on the counter.

CB: Pau Cubarsi - 7/10 - Another mature defensive performance from the teenager, who looked incredibly comfortable both on the ball and in the tackle.

CB: Inigo Martinez - 5/10 - Had his hands full with Larin, whose pace proved far too much for him to handle.

LB: Joao Cancelo - 6/10 - Involved in a lot going forward but was guilty of overplaying at times. Some frustrating decisions in the final third.

DM: Andreas Christensen - 5/10 - Remembering the fact that he is not a midfielder, Christensen looked uncomfortable in this role here. His passing was lethargic and his defensive positioning on the counter left a little to be desired.

DM: Ilkay Gundogan - 6/10 - The penalty miss spoiled what was actually a really nice performance in the first half, but Gundogan seemed to tire quickly after the break and was guilty of some sloppy touches.

RM: Lamine Yamal - 7/10 - Quiet and uninvolved in the first half but improved after the break and took his goal really well.

AM: Joao Felix - 5/10 - Buzzed around to try and get involved but never took the chance to make something happen in the final third. Guilty of some poor decisions.

LM: Raphinha - 6/10 - Limped off late in the first half after picking up a knock winning the penalty.

ST: Marc Guiu - 4/10 - A bright start but soon found it impossible to get on the ball. Totally isolated.

Substitutes

SUB: Fermin Lopez (37' for Raphinha) - 6/10

SUB: Vitor Roque (61' for Felix) - 6/10

SUB: Robert Lewandowski (61' for Guiu) - 6/10

SUB: Oriol Romeu (87' for Gundogan) - N/A

Subs not used: Inaki Pena (GK), Diego Kochen (GK), Hector Fort, Mikayil Faye, Sergi Roberto, Marc Casado, Unai Hernandez

Manager

Oscar Hernandez - 2/10 - With manager Xavi suspended up in the stands, Barcelona put on a tactically woeful performance. There was absolutely nothing about Barca here and they were once again bailed out by a literal child.

Player of the match - Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)