Real Madrid’s bid for the championship encountered a significant setback this afternoon after Vedat Muriqi netted in stoppage time to secure Real Mallorca a crucial victory in their struggle to evade demotion.
It appeared as though Madrid had rescued a stalemate when substitute Eder Militao nullified Manu Morlanes’ initial goal with merely two minutes remaining.
The outcome was unjust for Mallorca, yet they discovered the resolve to reassert themselves, and Son Moix erupted when Muriqi blasted high into the net in the first of five additional minutes, helping his team ascend from the relegation zone with an unforgettable triumph.
Madrid will fall seven points behind frontrunners Barcelona if the Catalans triumph over Atletico Madrid later today.
Omitting Vinicius Jr Proves Costly for Real Madrid
Vinicius Jr remained among the substitutes for the initial hour, subsequently introduced by coach Alvaro Arbeloa, who also saw the return of Militao and Jude Bellingham from injury.
However, this represented the sole positive development for Madrid, who were consistently thwarted by Mallorca’s goalkeeper Leo Roman before losing their creative spark as the game unfolded. The 25-year-old executed several superb saves, a feat his teammates seized upon by gaining an advantage three minutes prior to halftime.
Pablo Maffeo served as the mastermind, executing a penetrating dash down the right flank. His cutback pass was impeccable for Morlanes to strike beyond Andriy Lunin.
Kylian Mbappe was deemed ready to begin for Madrid and contributed to creating their initial significant opportunity after 17 minutes with a lofted delivery to the far post, which Manuel Angel, on his debut start, headed directly at Roman.
Roman then frustrated Mbappe twice within the span of three minutes. Initially, he adeptly parried a shot with his foot after the former PSG striker had been set up for a scoring opportunity by Arda Guler. Subsequently, he made a clever stop to repel Mbappe’s effort that appeared destined for the bottom corner.
Guler was a pivotal player for Madrid, nearly opening the scoring after 34 minutes, but his far-post attempt was superbly thwarted by Roman.
Having shown minimal offensive danger, Mallorca asserted themselves forcefully before the interval.
Morlanes nodded agonizingly wide after 36 minutes but did score six minutes later.
Madrid Secure Parity, Only to Be Dealt a Blow by Muriqi in the Dying Moments
Roman frustrated Mbappe yet again after 57 minutes before Arbeloa eventually summoned Vinicius Jr, introducing him as part of a trio of substitutions that also witnessed the entry of Bellingham and Militao.
This barely alleviated Madrid’s plight, as they continued to grapple in offensive areas with both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Guler squandering promising opportunities through inaccurate distributions.
Even when they managed to create a chance, their attempts lacked precision, with Aurelien Tchouameni sending a shot disappointingly off target when in a prime position after 79 minutes.
Madrid were not exactly surging forward seeking a leveler, but they did find one from a dead-ball situation with only moments remaining.
Alexander-Arnold delivered a corner kick from the right flank, and Militao leaped highest to power a header past Roman and beyond the goal line.
It seemed as though only one side would claim victory, but the visiting supporters’ aspirations were crushed when Mateo Joseph set up the pass for Muriqi, who controlled it deftly before smashing beyond Lunin for his 19th league goal of an extraordinary campaign.