First Division - Day 29

Mallorca 0 - Barcelona 1

Mallorca: Aouate; Mattioni, Ramis, Nunes, Ayoze; Martí, Mario Suárez (Keita 79'); Borja Valero, Víctor (Julio Alvarez 58'), Chori Castro (Webó 91'); (Aduríz. 4-2-3-1.
Barcelona: Víctor Valdés; Dani Alves, Puyol, Milito, Maxwell; Keita, Touré Yaya (Xavi 60'), Iniesta (Messi 50'); Pedro, Ibrahimovic, Jeffren (Jonathan Dos Santos 75'). 4-3-3.

Goals:
0-1. 63. Ibrahimovic. Scored from close up after Aouate pushed out deflection.

Yellow cards: Milito 33', Ramis 43', Mario Suárez 54', Aduríz 59', Castro 78', Keita 84', Dani Alves 92'.

Barcelona threw down the gauntlet once again to Real Madrid, a 0-1 victory at fourth placed Mallorca on Saturday evening taking them three points clear of their rivals pending their match on Sunday. The locals had won all but one of their home games this season, and they came close to taking the lead when Aduríz fired a shot on the turn against the post early on, Valdés recovering quickly to push Castro's follow up round the post. Pedro had a strike ruled out at the other end for offside, and Aouate had to be at his best to keep out a couple of efforts from Ibrahimovic, but Borja Valero hit the post again with a well struck free kick shortly before the break.

Guardiola had rested Messi and Xavi pending Wednesday's Champions League tie, but he brought them on early in the second half with almost immediate effect. A few minutes later Martí could only turn Xavi's corner towards his own goal under pressure from Puyol, and although Aouate got a hand to the ball he could only push as far as Ibrahimovic, who blasted a shot back in to the net. Messi brought another good save out of the keeper after Ibrahimovic gave a new meaning to the term "back-pass", and the Argentinian forward uncharacteristically put another effort over the bar after making himself space. An important win for Barça though, and the pressure is back on Madrid.