Real Madrid got their La Liga title defence off to a limp start as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Mallorca, with Vedat Muriqi’s second-half header cancelling out Rodrygo’s early strike and spoiling Kylian Mbappe’s eagerly awaited debut on Sunday.
Real’s so-called “New Galacticos” with Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr headlining a stellar squad came crashing back to earth with a dreary performance at a raucous Son Moix.
Real Madrid started well and took the lead thanks to a fine curling strike by Brazilian forward Rodrygo assisted by a back-heeled pass from his countryman Vinicius Jr in the 13th minute.
However, Mallorca started to create some chances in counter-attacks as a toothless Real grew frustrated, dominating possession but lacking ideas up front.
With Mbappe and Bellingham nowhere to be found, Vinicius was arguably Real’s only weapon against a disciplined Mallorca defence. But the Brazilian ended up losing his cool and was taunted by the local fans every time he touched the ball.
The Son Moix stadium has been a tough place for Vinicius, who in February 2023 was racially abused by the local supporters there.
On Sunday, he had several heated exchanges with rivals and was reprimanded by the referee after staring into the stands as if daring fans to shout at him all the more.
Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made three fine saves to keep the visitor’s lead, but there was nothing he could do to Muriqi powerful header from a corner in the 53rd minute that level for the locals.
Vinicius’s struggles and Mallorca’s equaliser frustrated Real thereafter.
They only really threatened twice with similar moves by Mbappe, who sprinted up the left channel in
counter-attacks but had his angled strikes denied by an inspired Dominik Greif in goal for Mallorca.
Real ended the match with 10 men after defender Ferland Mendy was shown a straight red for a sliding tackle deep into added time.
One day after a depleted Barca fought back to win 2-1 at Valencia despite missing several key starters, a star-studded Real Madrid laboured away to little avail, suggesting they may need to work harder than they thought to fit Mbappe into their squad.
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti started with the same squad that beat Atalanta, with Rodrygo, Vinicius and Mbappe in attack.
“They change position from time to time,” Ancelotti said of Vinicius and Mbappe.
“Sometimes Mbappe plays more centrally and sometimes one of the two has to occupy this flank, without a particular plan. It depends on how they feel about it.”
“We got off to a good start, taking the lead and then had a chance to get the second goal,” Ancelotti said.
“We didn’t find the balance in the second half. We could have lost as there was no balance at the back. It wasn’t a good game. We need to defend better. We’re a very attacking team, but defensive balance is a fundamental factor.”
“I don’t want to make excuses for anything, but we just need to do better and with a better attitude,” Ancelotti said.
“We can learn a lot from this match. It’s quite clear where our problems could come from.”
Rafael Nadal, who is from the island of Mallorca, was among those watching the match at the Son Moix Stadium.
Mallorca’s players provided a guard of honour for the Super Cup winners, lining up to applaud the Madrid team as they entered the field before kickoff.
Sociedad stunned
Real Sociedad, who finished sixth last season, were upset 2-1 at home by Rayo Vallecano, who fought to avoid relegation in the last campaign.
Jorge de Frutos and Sergio Camello scored second-half goals to put Rayo in front, while Sociedad only found the net with Martín Zubimendi’s goal deep into stoppage time.