In a fiercely contested La Liga 2024-25 encounter, Real Madrid’s hopes for a perfect start to their title defense were dashed as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Mallorca at the Son Moix Stadium. Rodrygo opened the scoring for Los Blancos, but Mallorca’s Vedat Muriqi equalized in the second half. The match ended on a sour note for Madrid as Ferland Mendy received a straight red card in stoppage time.
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First Half
The match kicked off with high intensity, and Real Madrid took the lead in the 13th minute through Rodrygo. Vinicius Junior’s clever backheel found Rodrygo in space, who curled the ball into the far corner, leaving Mallorca’s goalkeeper Dominik Greif with no chance.
Mallorca, however, did not back down and created several chances, the best of which came from a long-range effort by Dani Rodríguez that was comfortably saved by Thibaut Courtois. The first half ended with Madrid holding a slim 1-0 advantage.
Halftime Score:
Mallorca 0-1 Real Madrid
Second Half
Mallorca came out stronger in the second half, pressing high and looking for an equalizer. Their persistence paid off in the 53rd minute when Muriqi rose highest to meet a corner from Rodríguez, powering his header past Courtois to level the score.
Real Madrid tried to regain control of the match, but Mallorca’s defense, led by Antonio Raíllo, held firm. Despite several efforts from Luka Modric and Kylian Mbappé, Madrid could not find a winner.
The match took a dramatic turn in stoppage time when Mendy, in an attempt to regain possession, lunged at Muriqi and was shown a straight red card, leaving Madrid down to ten men for the final minutes.
Full-Time Score:
Mallorca 1-1 Real Madrid
Key Moments
- 13′ – Goal: Rodrygo (Real Madrid) – Assisted by Vinicius Junior.
- 45+3′ – Yellow Card: Pablo Maffeo (Mallorca) – Foul on Vinicius Junior.
- 53′ – Goal: Vedat Muriqi (Mallorca) – Header from Dani Rodríguez’s corner.
- 90+7′ – Red Card: Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid) – Violent conduct against Muriqi.
Lineups
Mallorca (4-3-3):
GK: Dominik Greif
DEF: Pablo Maffeo, Antonio Raíllo, Martin Valjent, Johan Mojica
MID: Dani Rodríguez, Oriol Romeu, Antonio Sánchez
FOR: Vedat Muriqi, Takefusa Kubo, Kang-in Lee
Real Madrid (4-3-3):
GK: Thibaut Courtois
DEF: Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, Ferland Mendy
MID: Aurélien Tchouaméni, Luka Modric, Jude Bellingham
FOR: Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Kylian Mbappé
Match Statistics
- Possession: Mallorca 34% – 66% Real Madrid
- Shots on Target: Mallorca 5 – 5 Real Madrid
- Corners: Mallorca 8 – 7 Real Madrid
- Fouls: Mallorca 11 – 6 Real Madrid
- Yellow Cards: Mallorca 1 – 0 Real Madrid
- Red Cards: Mallorca 0 – 1 Real Madrid
Mallorca’s resolute performance earned them a valuable point against the defending champions. Real Madrid, while dominant in possession, were unable to convert their chances into a win. The result leaves Carlo Ancelotti’s side with much to ponder as they prepare for their next match without the suspended Mendy.
