Real Madrid 2 – Mallorca 1, goals by Mbappé and Jacobo Ramón
A lot of patience from the fans
In previous years, the fans didn’t have as much patience as they showed today at Madrid. With everything that’s happened in recent days and a makeshift team due to injuries (and poor squad planning), the match turned ugly early on with Mallorca’s 0-1 lead.
Madrid looked sluggish, but the fans chose not to criticize or add fuel to the fire. Instead, they tried to support the team. First, with a decent turnout of 60,000 spectators (40k–50k were expected), and then by refraining from booing too much, except for a few isolated moments.
The players responded with effort
At least those who played today gave it their all—especially Mbappé, Güler, Ceballos, and Bellingham. They weren’t always precise, but they kept trying, again and again, with Mallorca’s keeper Leo Román making numerous saves and ultimately being named Man of the Match.
The fans understood this and stayed patient—especially when Kylian Mbappé scored the 1-1 equalizer, marking his 40th goal of the season, continuing to break records as the debutant with the most goals in his first season.
Endrick didn’t show his worst side, but not his best either. He still isn’t taking advantage of his opportunities, unlike Güler, for example.
Finally Vallejo—and in the end, he was decisive
Football is often ironic, and today it was Vallejo’s turn. A player who Ancelotti almost never gives minutes to. It took a crisis—no players left, and even a half-injured Asensio had to come on—for Vallejo to finally get a chance.
And curiously, in the final play of the match, he became the key figure, flicking on a header to Jacobo Ramón, who stretched out a leg to make it 2-1 in the dying seconds of the game.
At least they survive the matchball, and now it’s up to Barcelona to win one of their three remaining games, likely clinching the league as early as tomorrow. But at least they didn’t win it today thanks to Madrid’s loss, which would’ve been a tough blow for the fans.
So in the end, the match carried the DNA that has defined Ancelotti’s Madrid: a gritty, scrappy team that often survives thanks to comebacks. It all began with the famous 10th Champions League title, with Ramos’s 93rd-minute header, and has continued with many similar comebacks in La Liga, the Champions League, and even the Copa del Rey.
Without a doubt, Ancelotti is the king of comebacks, though unfortunately that only masks deeper problems—problems that resurface when it truly matters, like this season, where Madrid lost all four Clásicos against Barcelona (both league games, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Copa del Rey final).