Real Mallorca 3 - Real Oviedo 0
Real Mallorca’s relegation from La Liga was confirmed despite a 3-0 win over already-relegated Oviedo in front of 19,311 on Saturday night. They amassed 42 points, the highest number since Deportivo La Coruña were relegated in the 2010-11 season.
Knowing that only a win would do, the crowd inside the Son Moix grew increasingly nervous as several golden goal chances were missed by Japanese winger Takumo Asano during what was a slow-paced first half.
Thankfully the home fans had something to cheer about in the 42nd minute. A deep cross from Raillo looked to have been over-hit but Pablo Torre popped up and scored with a cushioned volley. With their fate out of their hands, the Son Moix crowd became glued to their mobile devices and when both Girona and Getafe scored, things were looking up.
In the 83rd minute Morlanes looped a shot into the top corner to make it 2-0 and then Mallorca’s best player this season by some distance, Vedat Muriqi, crashed in the third from close range to finish the season with an impressive scoring spree of 23 La Liga goals. By this time, news filtered through that Betis had beaten Levante. Despite the three points, Mallorca found themselves relegated in 18th position, losing out on the tie-breaker with Osasuna and Levante who also finished on 42 points.
All in all a sad if not unexpected end to Mallorca’s season as the grim reaper sharpens his scythe and starts to dismantle Real Mallorca 2025/26 both on and off the pitch. As expected there was plenty of anger from the fans against the board and now there has to be a root and branch overhaul of everything regarding the club.
From a Mallorca fan’s perspective, this was a perfect summary of a cruel season. The team finally delivered what was needed, intensity, commitment and goals, only for earlier failures across the campaign to leave too much damage to repair.
To the players’ credit, they responded properly. The opening stages were tense but Mallorca were much more aggressive than in recent weeks. Muriqi once again looked the emotional and tactical leader of the side, bullying defenders and giving the attack a focal point. What hurt most for Mallorca supporters was seeing the quality that clearly exists in this squad, this team should not have gone down. The spine of the side, Leo Roman, Raillo, Samu Costa, Muriqi and Jan Virgili, is strong enough to survive in La Liga. Even neutrals exiting the Son Moix were saying how strange Mallorca’s position was considering the talent available. However, throughout the season the team repeatedly failed in decisive moments against direct rivals and inconsistency ultimately sealed their fate. It was bizarre as fans checked their phones constantly for scores elsewhere. Every roar from the fans was followed by nervous silence.
Over the next few days and weeks there will be anger about recruitment, frustration with tactical decisions and debate over whether the coaching change came too late. Mallorca finally played with personality and courage which for us supporters makes relegation harder to accept. As to the future, Mallorca have rebuilt before. The club has a strong identity, a loyal fanbase and enough quality to challenger immediately for promotion. The big problem now is how many key players will stay. Watch this space.