Real Mallorca 2 - Espanyol 1
Real Mallorca got themselves out of the relegation zone and regained some much-needed confidence with a hard-fought 2-1 win against Espanyol in front of 17,879 fans on Sunday afternoon in a bright and breezy Son Moix.
It was new Argentinian coach Martin Demichelis’s first home game in charge after taking over from Jagoba Arrasate a couple of weeks ago. The visitors hadn’t won a game since last December, but they took an early lead in the 36th minute when ex-Blackburn Rovers winger Thrhys Dolan darted inside the area before slotting a brilliant ball through to a Congolese player called Charles Pickel, who had only to nudge the ball into the bottom corner, thanks to the quality of the pass provided.
The 0-1 scoreline at half time was harsh on Mallorca who had come close on several occasions with the wind playing a significant role. Ten minutes into the second half, the Espanyol goalscorer got himself into a “right pickle” when he went studs up into the ankle of Oscar Mascarell and was duly given his marching orders. After a VAR review, the referee altered a yellow card to a red and the player was off for the first use of the loofah !
Mallorca drew level in the 70th minute when a Pablo Torre shot was heavily deflected, rolling into the net. After the ball went in, there was a five-minute deliberation from VAR, which revealed that Samu Costa hadn’t committed a foul in the lead up and the goal stood, 1-1.
After the sending-off, the game changed, with Mallorca taking the upper hand. Mateo Joseph, playing in a more striking role, hit the post with a rasping shot, then Mallorca went ahead. Samu Costa received a brilliant through pass from Mascarell and controlled the ball before firing home an unstoppable shot, 2-1. The Son Moix went ballistic. After all the VAR shenanigans, the referee added on an agonising nine minutes of extra time. Mallorca almost blew their lead with some risky playing out from the back. I don’t understand why they keep doing this, as nine times out of ten it gets them into trouble.
With the clock ticking and the fans chewing their nails, Mallorca held on for an incalculable victory. The besuited new coach has to be congratulated for making Mallorca in such a short time a much more organised side, and in Samu Costa we had a player involved in the first goal and scoring the second. The Portuguese player must now be close to being considered for his country’s World Cup squad in the summer. Pablo Torre played his best game for Mallorca and excelled in his new attacking role.
On Sunday Mallorca at last climbed out of the relegation zone, but now comes the hard bit. Next Sunday at 2pm, Mallorca make the trip to Alicante to play Elche in the second crucial relegation match. This is a definite six-pointer and if we win that game, we could go five points ahead of the relegation bottom three.
SUMMING UP: Phew! Once again Real Mallorca put their fans through the emotional wringer. It was one of these games where the tension never let up. The game began with optimism then turned into apprehension before ending in a mighty sigh of relief. In the end the game more or less summed up Mallorca’s season so far – difficult and dramatic. Our fans were in full voice, helping the team get over the line, not just in this match but possibly in the relegation battle itself.
PS At last we saw the timely introduction of both of our January transfer window signings, Luvumbo and Kalumba. Both of these players looked sharp and goodness knows why Arrasate never picked them.