Barcelona moved to the top of the La Liga table after securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory against RCD Mallorca away from home at Son Moix on Saturday night.
Robert Lewandowski’s stunning strike in the 20th minute proved to be enough for Xavi’s men to come away with a vital three points that sends them a point clear of rivals Real Madrid, who will play CA Osasuna tonight.
Mallorca gave it a good fight but could not find a way through, as Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made a few key stops while a makeshift defence performed well on the night.
Speaking to the media after the game, ter Stegen insisted that the win will help the team build momentum ahead of a busy run of matches. “This victory will help us to face the coming weeks,” he said.
The German has now kept three consecutive clean sheets in La Liga for the first time in his career. Talking about his own form, he added: “I do what I can to save everything.”
About the stop to deny Jaume Costa in the first half, ter Stegen said: “I don’t know where Jaume Costa came from. Suddenly he ends up alone in front of me. I did everything I could to stop that shot.”
Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets was full of praise for his goalkeeper after the game, as he said: “We have a fantastic goalkeeper. Ter Stegen has now beaten his own record of not conceding a goal.”
The veteran midfielder admitted that the Catalans would have preferred to win by a bigger margin, saying: “We would have liked to win by more goals but it’s always difficult to come back just after an international break.”
Busquets also gave the opposition credit for making things difficult, saying: “Mallorca closed the spaces very well. We knew their plan and we were forced to play from wider areas.”
Alejandro Balde continued his impressive run of form this season as he had another good game despite having been deployed as a right-back by Xavi Hernandez.
“It’s difficult to get back on track after the international break, but we did it. I’m happy with my performance and I hope to continue like this,” the teenager said after the game.
On playing at right-back, he added: “Playing on the right is new for me, but I only do what Xavi tells me. We have to adapt ourselves and be positive.”
Barcelona next face Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League away from home on Tuesday night and will hope to bag another win.
Source: BarçaTV+