Osasuna 2 - Real Mallorca 2
Last December in Palma, Real Mallorca threw away a two-goal lead against Osasuna and once again on Saturday afternoon it was another dramatic 2-2 draw, with the Pamplona side scoring late goals to break Mallorquinistas’ hearts.
In new coach Martin Demichelis’s first game in charge, he surprised fans by leaving tricky winger Jan Virgili on the bench alongside Sergi Darder. Pablo Torre started in a more attacking role and he was the main instigator in our best away first half this season. We dominated position in the early stages and went ahead with an incredibly fortuitous goal in the 35th minute. A long punt upfield looked to be a routine save by Osasuna’s Sergio Herrera, but the goalkeeper, who was out of the penalty area, tried to head the ball clear. Instead, he nodded the ball straight into Vedat Muriqi’s chest and it rolled into the net.
Both managers made changes after half time and it was one of them, Sergi Darder (on for the injured Torre), who was involved in Mallorca’s second goal. He picked out Muriqi inside Osasuna’s half, leaving the big Kosovan with a lot of work to do as he broke into the box before powering home a rasping shot into the bottom righthand corner for his 18th goal of this campaign. A remarkable tally when you take into consideration Mallorca’s lowly league position.
Mallorca lost the plot in the second half, not helped by the sending-off of Virgili, who was shown a straight red following a late reckless challenge on Osasuna’s Moro. Replays showed the referee’s decision was on the harsh side, and there’s a chance Mallorca may appeal against the decision early next week.
Osasuna’s onslaught against ten-man Mallorca was relentless then they had a player sent off when Raul Garcia stamped on Samu Costa’s foot. A red card was shown after a VAR review. With Mallorca hanging on by a thread, Osasuna’s Barja scored an 89th minute goal and Mallorca were wobbling.
Nine added on minutes was too long for the Palma side to hold out, and in the 95th minute ex-Mallorca player Budimir scored to earn the home side a late dramatic point against Mallorca for the second time this season. Then, with the last kick of the game, Mallorca’s Antonio Sanchez was through on goal but blazed over when it looked easier to score. Everybody in a packed Mallorca Sports Bar held their head in their hands when that didn’t go in.
The draw denied us the chance to move out of the relegation bottom three. However, they competed especially in the first half in a way they hadn’t in many weeks, and the new coach’s 4-3-1-2 set-up almost worked, despite the final setback. This was a bittersweet result for Mallorca who had victory within their grasp. Next up Espanyol come to Palma on Sunday at 2pm. Mallorca will have to face “the Budgies” without the suspended Jan Virgili and the possibility of several injured players.
PS: Mallorca didn’t have one corner kick the whole 99 minutes !