Mallorca Stuns Real Madrid with Last-Minute Victory
Mallorca blew the La Liga title race wide open with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Real Madrid at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix, decided by a 90+1-minute winner from Vedat Muriqi that could prove pivotal at both ends of the table.
Coming into the game, Real Madrid sat second on 69 points and firmly in the Champions League spots battle, while Mallorca were 17th on 31 points and locked in a survival battle. The result lifts Mallorca to 34 points, with their goals for and against moving to 38 and 49 respectively, and hands Madrid a damaging defeat that leaves them on 69 points from 31 games, now with 65 goals scored and 30 conceded.
Madrid dominated the ball from the outset, their 64% possession and 568 passes reflecting long spells of control, but they struggled to convert territory into clear chances against a compact Mallorca side set up in a 4-3-1-2 by Martin Demichelis. Leo Román was largely protected by a disciplined back four, with Johan Mojica and Pablo Maffeo key outlets on the break.
First Half
The deadlock was broken in the 41st minute, and it was the hosts who struck. From a well-worked move down the right, M. Morlanes arrived from midfield to finish, as M. Morlanes scored, assisted by P. Maffeo. The goal, coming against the run of play, perfectly encapsulated Mallorca’s game plan: soak up pressure, then punish Madrid in transition. It sent Demichelis’s side into the interval 1-0 up, a lead that matched the half-time scoreline.
Second Half
Real Madrid emerged from the break with greater urgency. Within two minutes of the restart, the tension showed when D. Huijsen was booked in the 47th minute for tripping, a yellow card that foreshadowed sweeping changes from Alvaro Arbeloa just before the hour.
On 59 minutes, Arbeloa made a triple substitution to jolt his team. Eder Militao came on for D. Huijsen, adding experience and aerial presence at the back. Moments later, Vinicius Junior came on for M. A. Moran, injecting pace and directness on the flank, while J. Bellingham came on for E. Camavinga to provide late runs and creativity from midfield. The changes tilted the game further in Madrid’s favour, but Mallorca’s defensive structure held.
The hosts, feeling the mounting pressure, saw their goalkeeper L. Roman booked for delay of game in the 66th minute as they tried to manage the tempo. Demichelis responded with his own triple change on 70 minutes to restore energy. D. Lopez came on for Samu Costa, M. Joseph came on for M. Morlanes, and J. Virgili came on for P. Torre, reshaping the midfield and attack while preserving the narrow lead.
Madrid continued to probe, and in the 72nd minute another attacking tweak arrived as T. Pitarch came on for A. Guler. Four minutes later, Arbeloa made his final roll of the dice in the 76th minute when F. Mastantuono came on for B. Diaz, further freshening the forward line.
Mallorca, increasingly pinned back, sought fresh legs up front in the 81st minute as A. Sanchez came on for Z. Luvumbo. Yet the pressure from Madrid was relentless. M. Valjent’s yellow card in the 84th minute underlined the strain on the home defence as they battled to keep their shape.
The breakthrough for Madrid finally arrived in the 88th minute. From a set-piece situation, Eder Militao scored, assisted by T. Alexander-Arnold, powering home to level the match at 1-1. It was no less than the visitors’ pressure deserved, their 6 shots on target and xG of 1.27 reflecting persistent threat. For Mallorca, who mustered just 2 shots on goal from an xG of 1.22, it felt like a cruel blow.
There was still time for further drama. In the 90th minute, F. Mastantuono was booked, a flashpoint in an increasingly frantic finale. Then, deep into stoppage time in the 90+1 minute, Mallorca produced a season-defining moment. Capitalising on one of their rare late forays, V. Muriqi scored, assisted by M. Joseph, finishing clinically to restore the lead and send Son Moix into raptures.
As Mallorca clung on, P. Maffeo picked up a yellow card for delay of game in the 90+5 minute, emblematic of a side fighting for every second. The final whistle confirmed a monumental 2-1 win, underpinned by Mallorca’s resilience and Román’s five saves, which matched Madrid’s six shots on target and kept the hosts alive in their survival battle.
Statistically, Madrid’s superiority was clear: more shots (15 to 6), more blocked efforts (3 to 1), and a higher passing accuracy (88% to 79%). Yet it was Mallorca’s ruthless efficiency and late-game composure that told, turning limited chances into maximum reward.
For Real Madrid, this defeat dents their title and Champions League spots ambitions, exposing vulnerabilities against deep, organised defences. For Mallorca, it is a statement victory that could define their season, a night when Son Moix witnessed both defiance and belief in their fight to stay in La Liga.
