Real Madrid begin their new season following a 1-1 draw against a spirited Mallorca side at Son Moix. As expected, the same squad which played the UEFA Super Cup took the field for this fixture as well.
The Merengues got off to a positive start by making some runs ahead and went on to take the lead in the 13th minute after the Brazilian duo of Vinicius and Rodrygo combined to score the first goal. Vinicius played an inch perfect back pass to his fellow national player, with Rodrygo curling one in the right corner from a tough angle.
Mallorca continued to receive corners and even got close to equalising on one occasion but mostly they were unable to make the most of it.
However, fortune favoured the brave as Dani Rodriguez found Vedat Muriqi in the perfect position from the corner and the striker headed the ball inside the net, with the scores being levelled in the 53rd minute
It was clearly visible in the 2nd half that Madrid’s midfield lacked control and perhaps were maybe missing the presence of a certain Toni Kroos as they struggled in that aspect.
The right flank became invisible with Rodrygo also shifting to the left flank, leaving only Carvajal and Valverde sometimes to combine on the right.
Carlo Ancelotti made three substitutions in the 88th minute, bringing on Arda Güler, Brahim Díaz and Lucas Vazquez for Bellingham, Vinícius and Carvajal respectively. But perhaps these changes were made too late as neither of the three were able to find their feet.
To make matters even worse, Ferland Mendy ended up making a reckless tackle in the dying moments of the game and received a straight red card which means the Frenchman will miss out on the next match.
To sum it up, it was a below average start for the defending champions because if it were not for Mallorca fumbling their chances late in the 2nd half, Los Blancos were staring at a defeat.
On the other hand, the Mallorca faithful could not have asked for a better start to the season as they managed to secure a point against a formidable Madrid squad.
A lot to ponder upon for Carlo Ancelotti after just the first match, but it’s Real Madrid and the players would be eager to turn this around and get things running in their next game against Real Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
