Unexpected hero: Luuk de Jong gave Barcelona the first win of 2022 [Video]

Photo: Jaime Reina / AFP / Getty Images

The Barcelona He triumphed in his first game of 2022 and it was thanks to an unexpected hero for the majority: Luuk de Jong. The Dutchman, called to leave the club soon, gave the Catalans joy with a header to beat Mallorca (0-1).

Luuk de Jong, at 30 ‘, warned for the first time: an acrobatic “scissor” shot inside the area hit the post. It could have been the goal of 2022 just on the second day of the year.

At 44 ′, the Dutchman did not miss the opportunity to end his bad streak and score the 0-1 that would ultimately be final. A beautiful header beat Manolo Reina.

It was just Luuk de Jong’s second goal with the Barcelona shirt. He has played 10 games in La Liga and played three games in the UEFA Champions League.

The tall forward had not scored since September 26, 2021, in the 3-0 win over Levante. Since then, he had only started three games, while sitting on the bench and not playing nine times.

Marc-André ter Stegen assured the Barça victory with a stop to remember at 92 ′. His right arm avoided the tie after a volley shot inside the area that took a lot of power.

Unique reflections.

With suffering and effectiveness, Barcelona started the year well.

Those led by Xavi Hernández returned to European qualification positions: they closed the day in position five, which gives a ticket to the Europa League, with 31 points, 15 behind Real Madrid (leader) and with one game less.