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 by Muriqi in stoppage time canceled out the equalizer the whites had achieved a few minutes earlier and left a clear path for a Barça that currently has a four-point lead and could 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 inoffensive Madrid in attack. When the strikers' inspiration or the goalkeeper's solidity fails, it's difficult 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 against 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 clear that the whites had their heads elsewhere. Starting with the lineup, in which Vinicius and Bellingham were 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 wing and the midfielder, entering at will because Camavinga did not follow him, beat Lunin with a good control and a shot close to the post.

Timid reaction from Madrid in the second half

With the goal against them, forced by the circumstances, Madrid took a timid step forward in the second half and had some interesting approaches, although the home defense was very solid. Arbeloa revolutionized the team by bringing in Bellingham and Vinicius. Even so, the white attack didn't improve much. But it's already known that Madrid doesn't 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 charged in a torrent while Mallorca defended tooth and nail. This time, there was no good cross or any magical shot. On the contrary. In a long service from the goalkeeper, and with the defense out of position, Muriqi received a ball at the edge of the box. He made a delicious control and a very strong shot over Lunin's body, which 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 now, is getting out of the relegation zone.