Madrid drops half the League in Mallorca

BarcelonaReal Madrid dropped three golden points in Mallorca (2-1) in another poor game from Álvaro Arbeloa's team. A goal from Muriqi in stoppage time canceled out the equalizer the whites had achieved a few minutes earlier and left Barça with a clear path, who currently have a four-point lead and can extend it tonight if they beat Atlético de Madrid at the Metropolitano.

The whites, as often happens, ended the match surrounding the referee, protesting any action that seemed contrary to their interests. But there was little to blame Sánchez Martínez for, as the defeat was the fault of a distracted, disorganized, and toothless Madrid in attack. When the forwards' inspiration or the goalkeeper's solidity fails, it's hard for matches to end in victory. And it turns out that, in Mallorca, Mbappé missed two clear chances and Lunin (who was playing in place of the injured Courtois) could do nothing about two close-range shots from the locals.

After an international break and on the eve of the Champions League quarter-finals against Bayern, it was noticeable that the whites had their heads elsewhere. Starting with the initial lineup, as Vinícius and Bellingham were left on the bench. Even so, the first half was presentable and, apart from Mbappé's chances, Güller also had one. Goalkeeper Leo Román, solid between the posts, was an impenetrable wall.

Mallorca took a step forward in the middle of the first half and, after an interesting chance, Morlanes took advantage of a serious defensive error by Real Madrid just before halftime to open the scoring. Maffeo had a highway on the left flank and the midfielder, entering at will because Camavinga didn't follow him, beat Lunin with a good touch and a shot close to the post.

Timid reaction from Madrid in the second half

With the goal against them, and forced by the circumstances, Madrid took a timid step forward in the second half and had some interesting attacks, although the local defense was very solid. Arbeloa revolutionized the team by bringing in Bellingham and Vinícius. Even so, the white attack did not improve much. But it is already known that Madrid does not need collective football, but isolated actions, to score. And in Mallorca's only defensive error, Militao was left alone on a corner service and equalized with a very strong header. It was minute 87.

Everyone knows how Madrid plays, and with the goal in the final stretch, everyone expected a visiting siege to get another goal, the winning one. The whites launched themselves in a rush while Mallorca defended with tooth and nail. This time, however, there was no good cross or magical shot. On the contrary. On a long service from the goalkeeper, and with the defense out of position, Muriqi received a ball at the edge of the box, made a delightful control and a very strong shot over Lunin's body that meant the definitive 2-1 in stoppage time. A slap in the face for Madrid and a breath of fresh air for a Mallorca that, for the moment, is out of the relegation zone.