Real Mallorca moved out of the La Liga relegation zone in front of 16,199 fans on Saturday evening following a 3-1 victory over Elche. The Alicante side are still searching for their first away win of the season.
Mallorca started the game on the front foot and took an early lead in the 5th minute. Following brilliant play from Jan Virgili, midfielder Manu Morlanes left his marker for dead with a spectacular side-step before firing home from just inside the penalty area. The 26-year-old Zaragoza-born player had his best game in a Mallorca shirt and this was his first strike for the islanders since signing from Villarreal in 2023.
Mallorca then came agonisingly close to doubling their lead shortly before the quarter hour mark when, after a mazy run, Virgili saw his effort cannon off the post. In the 21st minute Elche drew level when Pablo Maffeo inadvertently put the ball into his own net to give Elche an undeserved equaliser. Once again Mallorca had let their opponents back into contention when Elche had failed to have a single shot on target.
After the break with fans resigned to watching the same old, same old – Mallorca throwing away a lead – the game became a snoozefest. In the 87th minute the Son Moix suddenly came alive. Elche’s goalkeeper Iñaki Peña had spent more time in the second half standing in the centre circle; that stupidity allowed Mallorca to score their second goal which brought the house down. In trying to clear, Peña made a hash of trying to play the ball out from his own half. Mascarell was on the spillage in a flash to lob over the goalkeeper’s head from halfway, into an empty net.
Mallorca then sealed their victory in the 88th minute with a wonder goal and again Mascarell was involved. On the eve of his departure to play in the African Cup of Nations in Morocco for Equatorial Guinea, he picked up a loose ball, lofted a brilliant cross into the box, and Vedat Muriqi powered home one of his trademark headers, 3-1, game over. That was the end of a match Mallorca deserved to win against a bang average Elche side. For the first time this season, Mallorca have more points (17) than games played and move up to the heady heights of 14th, only seven points off Europe!!!
Man of the Match unquestionably Omar Mascarell.