TOUGH START: Mbappe UNDERWHELMS as Real Madrid unexpectedly drops points in their La Liga season opener.
Real Madrid had a challenging match as their new signing Kylian Mbappe made his debut in the Spanish top flight.
Real Madrid’s attacking quartet of Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius and new signing Mbappe started the game, but Mallorca surprised many by starting the game with confidence and it was they who created the first notable attacks.
Just five minutes into the match, Costa broke through from the right wing into the middle and fired a powerful shot, but goalkeeper Courtois made an excellent save, helping Real Madrid avoid an early goal. Less than a minute later, Mbappe fell in the penalty area, but the referee decided not to award a penalty.
Real Madrid quickly regained control of the game and did not waste time in finding the opening goal. In the 13th minute, the moment the fans had been waiting for happened. Bellingham, Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrygo had a good combination, before Rodrygo calmly handled the situation in the penalty area and unleashed a dangerous curling shot, scoring against Mallorca.
Rodrygo helped Real Madrid take the lead (Photo: Getty).
The goal made the match more dramatic with continuous attacks from both teams. At the end of the first half, goalkeeper Courtois made a mistake when he did not catch the ball, but the Belgian star quickly made amends by successfully blocking Muriqi’s rebound shot.
At the beginning of the second half, Mallorca unexpectedly found an equalizer. From a corner kick, Rodriguez made an accurate cross, creating an opportunity for Muriqi to head the ball into Real Madrid’s net and equalize the score.
Real Madrid unexpectedly lost points against Mallorca (Photo: Getty).
Real Madrid tried to attack after that, not wanting to accept a draw, but the “White Vultures” played harder and harder to find a way into the opponent’s goal. In fact, if Mallorca’s strikers had taken better advantage of their opportunities, the result could have been very different for coach Carlo Ancelotti’s team.
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Real Madrid ended the match in disappointment with a straight red card for Mendy after a malicious foul on Mallorca’s Muriqi. With this draw, the Spanish Royal team temporarily ranked 13th in the La Liga rankings.
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