Champions can afford to let one go (2-1)Roger Bogunyà

Champions can afford to let one go (2-1)

Barcelona, the recently crowned Cup and League champions, has lost at Mallorca despite taking the lead with a goal by Eto’o.
Mallorca laid on a guard of honour for the champions, and in the first half Barça showed just why they have won the competition. In spite of beginning the match with two reserve team players in Oier and Xavi Torres – with two more, Thiago and Jeffren, coming on in the second half – and others such as Pedro and Cáceres who haven’t been regulars in the starting XI this season, the team still played to its usual high standards. The entertainment on offer was also helped by the fact that neither team had much to play for in the game. The most interesting aspect of the match was Eto’o and his search for goals to extend his lead as top goal scorer. In the 10th minute he put Barça ahead only to miss a number of chances which would have wrapped the game up by half-time. In the second half Barça were made to pay for those mistakes as Mallorca scored twice. The defeat is of no real significance as Barça, who rested key players for the final in Rome on the 27th, had already got the League in the bag when they came to the ONO Estadi. Eto’o scores

In spite of the numerous changes in the starting line-up, Eto’o kept his place in the search for more goals to extend his lead as top goal scorer. He took just 10 minutes to do that when he connected with an excellent cross by Bojan from the left to lob a header over the advancing Moyà. The game had got off to the best possible start.

Missed chances

Samuel Eto’o was the central figure in the first half, as he had at least three more chances to extend Barça’s lead. However, on each occasion he came up against Moyà who had the best of all the one-on-ones. Despite not having much automatic understanding with each other, the reserve team players and first teamers who haven’t been regulars this season still played in the Barça way of possession football. Mallorca make a comeback The second half started much like the first. Barça had the ball, Mallorca ran after it and Eto’o continued to be unlucky, missing another two clear chances. In the end Mallorca made Barça pay for those errors when Arango equalised from a free kick (73’).

Straight after the goal

Thiago made his debut when he came on for Gudjohnsen. With their next chance the home side made it 2-1 when Cléber Santana headed home a Jurado centre. Mallorca had had just the two chances and took both of them to turn the game around. The result wasn’t really fair for Barça, who still had time to hit the woodwork twice through Eto’o, on the second occasion from a penalty in injury time. But it mattered little: the League had already been won.