MADRID (AP) — Teenage stars Lamine Yamal Barcelona made up for missing an early goal with their trademark curler from outside the penalty area as they beat Mallorca 3-0 on Saturday and moved four points clear at the top of La Liga.
Robert Lewandowski put Barcelona ahead, and 18-year-old straight forward Marc Bernal scored his first career goal in the closing stages to seal a convincing victory.
Second place Real Madrid can narrow the gap to one point if they win against Valencia on Sunday.
Lewandowski fired home from close range in the 29th minute after a good shot from Marcus Rashford down the left. The shot was blocked, but Lewandowski, with his usual calm composure, controlled the ball and evaded the defenders to score.
Rashford’s form has improved throughout the season and he almost scored in first-half stoppage time when his curled free-kick was saved well by Leo Roman.
The ball fell to right-back Jules Kounde near the penalty spot, and his scuffed shot fell at the feet of Yamal, who managed to skewer his shot wide of the target from close to the goal line.
18 years old genius Lewandowski is one of the most prolific scorers of the modern era, having scored over 650 goals for his club, including 344 with his former club Bayern Munich.
Yamal showed off his abilities with a stunning shot in the 61st minute. He passed a defender on the edge of the area and fired a powerful shot into the bottom corner. The blow was so clean with his left foot that Roman didn’t even move.
Yamal and Lewandowski were substituted, but both praised Bernal’s excellent goal in the 83rd minute.
Barça sliced through Mallorca’s midfield with four quick passes, running through Bernal, who showed great composure to cut through the defenders and slot the ball inside the post.
match has been postponed
Real Sociedad will host Elche in the only game of the day after two matches were cancelled.
Rayo Vallecano’s home match against Oviedo has been postponed. Urgent notice Due to safety concerns on the field at Vallecas Stadium. The league also canceled Sevilla vs. Girona due to bad weather.
Oviedo said he understood the decision, but the team criticized the short notice and said it was considering legal action. ___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
