Arda Guler and Vinicius Jr scored back-to-back goals within 60 seconds as ريال مدريد overcame an early scare to beat مايوركا, 2-1. Los Blancos were dominant throughout, but had a trio of efforts narrowly ruled out.
Madrid thought they had the lead early on when Kylian Mbappe raced through to turn Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pass home, but the referee ruled his effort offside after a long VAR review. Mallorca responded in style, though, when veteran forward Vedat Muriqi headed home off a corner. Los Blancos equalized shortly before half time thanks to another piece of dead ball work. Alvaro Carreras floated a ball to Dean Huijsen at the far post, who nodded across to Guler to finish into an empty net.
Less than a minute later, the home side were in the lead. Vinicius started and finished it with a weaving run, drop of the shoulder and calm finish into the bottom corner. It was almost three before half time, but Mbappe had another goal ruled out for a tight offside. They had another chalked off early in the second half, when the ball was adjudged to have stuck Guler’s arm before he smashed home from close range.
Los Blancos rotated heavily as the minutes waned, with Alonso toying with various combinations. رودريغو enjoyed a bright cameo. Brahim Diaz made his case on the right. But it was otherwise a simple affair for Madrid, who were good value for the win.
BALLGM rates Real Madrid’s players from the Santiago Bernabeu…
Arda Guler and Vinicius Jr scored back-to-back goals within 60 seconds as Real Madrid overcame an early scare to beat Mallorca, 2-1. Los Blancos were dominant throughout, but had a trio of efforts narrowly ruled out.
Madrid thought they had the lead early on when Kylian Mbappe raced through to turn Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pass home, but the referee ruled his effort offside after a long VAR review. Mallorca responded in style, though, when veteran forward Vedat Muriqi headed home off a corner. Los Blancos equalized shortly before half time thanks to another piece of dead ball work. Alvaro Carreras floated a ball to Dean Huijsen at the far post, who nodded across to Guler to finish into an empty net.
Less than a minute later, the home side were in the lead. Vinicius started and finished it with a weaving run, drop of the shoulder and calm finish into the bottom corner. It was almost three before half time, but Mbappe had another goal ruled out for a tight offside. They had another chalked off early in the second half, when the ball was adjudged to have stuck Guler’s arm before he smashed home from close range.
Los Blancos rotated heavily as the minutes waned, with Alonso toying with various combinations. Rodrygo enjoyed a bright cameo. Brahim Diaz made his case on the right. But it was otherwise a simple affair for Madrid, who were good value for the win.
بالجم rates Real Madrid’s players from the Santiago Bernabeu…
Thibaut Courtois (7/10):
Could do nothing about the Mallorca goal. Made a couple of لطيف - جيد saves, as ever.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (7/10):
Pinged the ball around a bit. Unlucky not to get himself an assist after a tight offside. Made a crucial clearance to deny a goal. His best showing yet.
Eder Militao (7/10):
Completed all but one of his passes. Covered for Alexander-Arnold when needed.
Dean Huijsen (6/10):
Assisted Madrid’s equalizer. Excellent defensively for the first half, but very loose in the second.
Alvaro Carreras (7/10):
Very solid once again. Moved the ball well, always made the correct decision, and held down his side. Hooked one off the line acrobatically.
Aurelien Tchouameni (7/10):
Launched a couple over when Madrid couldn’t get anything going. A bit loose on the ball but positionally reliable.
Arda Guler (8/10):
Couldn’t miss from close range to level the score. Found all sorts of clever angles and was influential throughout his time on the pitch.
Federico Valverde (7/10):
Assisted the Madrid second. Never stopped running. A typically industrious performance.
Franco Mastantuono (5/10):
A frustrating evening for the young Argentine, who was full of energy and effort, but lacking in quality.
Kylian Mbappe (7/10):
Very unlucky to have two goals ruled out in the first half. Lively and much more effective in his combination play.
Vinicius Jr (7/10):
Really could have done with releasing the ball earlier on a few occasions. Scored a sublime individual goal. A much better 70 minutes.
Brahim Diaz (6/10):
A bright cameo on the right.
Dani Carvajal (6/10):
Brought on to shore things up defensively – which he did so.
Rodrygo (N/A):
A few nice touches on the left.
Dani Ceballos (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Gonzalo Garcia (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Xabi Alonso (7/10):
Rotated again, bringing Alexander-Arnold back into the side. Madrid were better throughout, and deserved more than a 2-1 win, in truth. Three games, three wins.
