- Real Madrid begin La Liga title defence with draw at Mallorca
- Rodryo opened the scoring before Vedat Muriqi equalised
- Los Blancos couldn't find winner in the second half
Real Madrid were pegged back in their opening fixture of the 2024/25 La Liga season as Mallorca showed resilience to earn a 1-1 draw on Sunday night.
Los Blancos went ahead when Rodrygo found the far corner with a precise strike, but some statuesque defending allowed Vedat Muriqi to power home a header and equalise.
Madrid came on strong late in the second half but their illustrious batch of first-teamers couldn't find the decisive goal.
How the game unfolded
Carlo Ancelotti gave Madrid fans another chance to see their star-studded forward line of Rodrygo, Kylian Mbappe and VInicius Junior in action with Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde behind them in midfield, but it was Mallorca who brought the first save out of a goalkeeper at either end.
Samu Costa cut in from the wing and curled towards goal, forcing Thibaut Courtois to flick the ball over the crossbar.
Each of Los Blancos' attacking trio began to show their unique skillsets before the opening goal arrived in the 13th minute. Vinicius burst towards the box and back-heeled into Rodrygo's path, allowing him to bend an effort brilliantly into the far corner.
The hosts blew a chance to get back on level terms shortly after going behind, but Johan Mojica's low cross evaded both Muriqi and Takuma Asano and dribbled out for a throw-in.
Some of Madrid's link-up play involving the likes of Bellingham, Valverde and Vinicius was divine, but a lack of clear goalscoring opportunities prevented the visitors from extending their lead while Mallorca showed their intent to equalise without success before the half-time whistle.
However, Madrid's superstars were quickly dealt a setback as Jagoba Arrasate's side hit back within ten minutes of the restart.
It was a goal startlingly simple in nature, with Daniel Rodriguez's hanging corner met powerfully by Muriqi. The big Kosovo international leapt high above Antonio Rudiger and planted his header past Courtois' reach, sending the home fans into raptures.
Mbape soon skipped his way to the byline but couldn't pick out a target before bringing Dominik Greif into action with a similar run, seeing his shot well smothered at the near post.
Luka Modric entered the action with a little over an hour played as Ancelotti shuffled his pack in search of a response to Mallorca's equaliser. Mbappe tested Greif again and Rodrygo looked certain to tap in the rebound, only for Mojica to arrive first and clear the danger.
Mallorca might have taken a shock lead late on when Antonio Sanchez blazed over after the ball dropped kindly for him, though it might have been disallowed for offside regardless.
In the end no winner arrived for either team and instead Ferland Mendy let his frustration get the better of him with a high and wild lunge resulting in his dismissal, forcing Madrid to begin their title defence with a single point.
Real Madrid player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Thibaut Courtois - 7/10 - Important early stop kept the game goalless. Was put under pressure but responded with the composure expected of one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
RB: Dani Carvajal - 6/10 - Was typically combative but didn't always look comfortable against the tricky Rodriguez.
CB: Eder Militao - 5/10 - Could have asserted himself more like Rudiger but was sensible in possession, rarely giving the ball away.
CB: Antonio Rudiger - 6/10 - Got his jump wrong as Muriqi equalised. Otherwise led well at the back in the face of some serious Mallorca pressure at points.
LB: Ferland Mendy - 4/10 - Made some great recovery runs, denying Muriqi a gilt-edged chance to give Mallorca the lead when he came out of nowhere to head the danger away. Unnecessarily got himself sent off late on with a terrible challenge.
CM: Federico Valverde - 6/10 - Did well to mop up loose possession frequently, showing his typical dogged spirit without being totally dominant in midfield.
CM: Aurelien Tchouameni - 6/10 - Has very large tempo-setting boots to step into after Toni Kroos' retirement and didn't manage to control play the way he would have wanted.
CM: Jude Bellingham - 6/10 - Played some probing passes and pulled out some nice flicks but couldn't summon much magic in the final third.
RW: Rodrygo - 8/10 - Combined nicely with Vinicius and belted in Madrid's opener superbly. That goal gave him confidence and he might have got a few more on another day.
ST: Kylian Mbappe - 7/10 - Showed his pace during the opening 45 minutes but things didn't quite fall into place for the Frenchman.
LW: Vinicius Junior - 7/10 - Smart flick back to Rodrygo helped his compatriot open the scoring. Showed his usual intent to dribble forward but lost possession quite regularly.
Substitutes
SUB: Luka Modric (63' for Tchouameni) - 6/10 - Helped Madrid control proceedings more comfortably late on.
SUB: Lucas Vazquez (88' for Carvajal) - N/A
SUB: Brahim Diaz (88' for Vinicius) - N/A
SUB: Arda Guler (88' for Bellingham) - N/A
Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Fran Gonzalez, Francisco Garcia, Jacobo Ramon, Jesus Vallejo, Dani Ceballos, Endrick.
