MADRID — Barcelona began the defense of its La Liga title with a comfortable 3-0 win at Mallorca, scoring early and taking advantage of two first-half red cards for the host on Saturday.

In the 36th minute of the La Liga 2025-26 matchday 1 fixture at San Moix, Muriqi challenged for a loose ball towards Barcelona’s penalty box, catching Joan Garcia in the face with his left foot. The referee had initially shown a yellow card, but VAR called for a review, prompting the referee to upgrade the decision to a red card.

Barcelona kick off their title-defending season with a visit to Mallorca in a La Liga clash on Saturday. Barca finished last season 28-4-6 and should already be bursting with confidence thanks to a 5-0 victory against Serie A club Como last weekend.

Barcelona kicked off the defence of their La Liga title with a 3-0 win at Real Mallorca, but manager Hansi Flick was not happy after the game.

Catch the live coverage of the Mallorca vs Barcelona La Liga 2025-26 match being played at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix on Saturday.

The start of LaLiga came with suspense for Barcelona, which confirmed the registrations of goalkeeper Joan García and striker Marcus Rashford only a few hours before their debut at Son Moix. Both players were cleared to participate and were included in Hansi Flick’s squad.