Ferran Torres’ goal caused a lot of controversy in the match between Mallorca and Barcelona. The islanders were extremely frustrated that the game had not been stopped after a player was hit in the head.
It was a bizarre scene in the 23rd minute. After a shot from Lamine Yamal, defender Raillo went for the ball with his head and then lay dazed in his own penalty area. Pretty much everyone expected the game to be interrupted. Referee Munuera put the whistle in his mouth, but no whistle came. The Catalans continued to play against a half-hearted Mallorca defense, and Ferran Torres ultimately shot the ball over Raillo, who was lying on the ground, into the far corner to make it 2-0. Goalkeeper Leo looked on dejectedly.
But why didn’t Munuera stop play? Mallorca coach Jagoba Arrasate was naturally wondering the same thing. “Last week, we were told in the meeting that the game would be stopped if someone was hit in the head. The fourth referee, who was standing in front of me, told him to stop the game because it was a blow to the head. Everyone thought he had blown his whistle.” Munuera apparently justified his decision by saying that Raillo had deliberately gone for the ball with his head, so he had not been “shot” by Lamine Yamal. “I don’t quite understand that,” Arrasate continued. “When you get hit in the head with the ball, you sometimes feel dizzy. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him running toward the center circle.”
Raillo himself couldn’t make sense of the decision either. “I feel a little dizzy and I fall down. He has ten seconds to interrupt the game. If the rules say something, you have to stick to it.” He didn’t blame the Barcelona players; apparently, even the scorer didn’t believe the goal would count. “Ferran Torres tells me that he thought the whistle had been blown and that’s why he shot.”
Flick also commented on the decisive scene: “I tell the team that we have to play until the referee blows the whistle. It’s the referee’s decision and you have to accept it.” However, the 60-year-old admitted that he would not have been “happy” if he had been on the other side.
At Mallorca, frustration took hold after the 0-2 defeat. Ten minutes later, Manu Morales was shown a second yellow card for an unnecessary foul on Lamine Yamal, the midfielder having previously been booked for complaining about the controversial incident. The red card against Vedat Murici after VAR intervention in the 39th minute was also the right decision; Munuera had initially only shown a yellow card for the headbutt against keeper Joan Garcia.
Raphinha gets away with a yellow card
In stoppage time of the first half, however, Raphinha rushed into former Dortmund player Mateu Morey with excessive enthusiasm, and this time Munuera only showed a yellow card, turning the stadium against him. “There are a lot of decisions going against us,” Raillo said of the scene. “The rules are there to be followed.”
When asked about his team’s performance, which only managed to score one more goal despite having two men up, Flick said: “It’s not possible to play with 50 or 60 percent against nine men. We have to play faster and improve some situations.” His summary: “I didn’t like the game.” He was certainly not alone in that opinion in Mallorca.
