Marco Asensio had a penalty saved as Real Madrid were beaten 1-0 at Mallorca on Sunday in another blow to their LaLiga title hopes.
A Nacho Fernandez own goal put Mallorca ahead in the 13th minute. The defender rose with forward Vedat Muriqi at the near post to head Dani Rodriguez’s cross past goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, who had replaced the injured Thibaut Courtois in the warm-up.
With an hour played, Asensio’s penalty kick was saved by Mallorca’s Predrag Rajkovic — after the keeper had brought down Vinicius Jr. — to condemn Madrid to a defeat which risks them falling further behind Barcelona in the title race.
JUMP TO: Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Postmatch quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures
Rapid reaction
1. Well-drilled Mallorca scrapping their way to safety
Mallorca were expected to spend this season fighting relegation after narrowly escaping the drop by a single point last campaign. Instead, they’ve been punching considerably above their weight, and are now riding high in 10th place with a healthy 28 points, midway through the season. They’re ahead of more established rivals like Sevilla, Valencia, Celta Vigo and Espanyol, and this win over Madrid is the latest for their collection, following consecutive victories over Villarreal and Atletico Madrid back in November.
This was a hard-fought victory, with just 26% possession, one shot on target and an xG of 0.2. Rajkovic’s penalty save from Asensio was the highlight, but this was a victory for manager Javier Aguirre’s expertly coached back five. At the other end of the pitch, Muriqi — with eight league goals this season — is a powerful presence. The goal initially credited to him was later recognised as Nacho’s own goal, but Muriqi is a forward with the kind of presence that unsettles even the most experienced defenders.
Mallorca’s season won’t be defined by what they do against Madrid — wins in the last month against direct rivals Valladolid and Celta were even more valuable — but this was a day their noisy fans won’t forget in a hurry.
