After a tight match, Mallorca scored a late goal and crushed Real Madrid’s hopes of reaching the top of the league table.
Real Madrid suffered a heavy blow, losing 2-1 on their visit to Mallorca, a club that, since the arrival of Argentine Martin Demichelis, has shown significant progress, to the point that they now appear outside the relegation places.
The team coached by Alvaro Arbeloa seems to be saying goodbye to their chances of winning the title, as they now sit 4 points behind league leaders Barcelona, who will visit Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Although there are still mathematical possibilities, on the football pitch, they have not been able to deliver a performance that excites their fans.
If Blaugrana win at the Metropolitano, the lead will jump to 7 points with only eight matchdays remaining until the end of the season, and it would also boost their spirits heading into the final stretch of the campaign, as they face an always tricky opponent.
On paper, this looked like a great opportunity for Arbeloa’s side to put pressure on their historic rivals, but instead, at no point did they give the feeling that they were playing for three crucial points.
That is the only way to understand how Manu Morlanes opened the scoring shortly before halftime, having time to control and prepare his shot inside the Madrid area (41st minute). A hard blow for a team that had dominated possession fruitlessly.
When Brazilian center-back Militao equalized with two minutes left in regulation time (88th minute), it could be assumed that Real Madrid would go for the win, but their intentions were brutally halted by Kosovo striker Vedat Muriqi’s goal, which gave the definitive victory to the islanders (90+1st minute).
The defeat for Real Madrid also comes three days before they face Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
For the vermilion team, meanwhile, it is a victory that could prove decisive in the fight for survival, as they reach 31 points and provisionally move out of the relegation zone, with Demichelis now celebrating in a big way.
Real Madrid Player Ratings
A. Lunin: 6.2
A. Carreras: 6.4
D. Huijsen: 6.8
A. Rudiger: 6.9
T. Alexander-Arnold: 6.8
A. Guler: 7.3
E. Camavinga: 6.7
A. Tchouameni: 7.4
M. A. Moran: 6.6
K. Mbappe: 6.7
B. Diaz: 6.6
The ratings were generated by Sofascore’s statistical engine.
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