FAST DOWNLOAD
Kylian Mbappe endured a fruitless La Liga debut, and didn’t get much help from the big names around him, as Real Madrid were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw with Mallorca to open the season.
What many predicted would be a statement performance was instead 90 minutes of tiny moments of concern, as Los Blancos’ star-laden front three saw lots of the ball but failed to do much with it when it really counted.
Madrid did look lively in the opening minutes, as Mbappe and Vinicius Jr caused problems for a stretched Mallorca defence. Rodrygo found the eventual opener, though, cutting inside his man before curling an effort into the top corner.
The home side nearly equalised before half-time after a Thibaut Courtois blunder handed Vedat Muriqi a clear chance, but Antonio Rudiger – excellent on the night -battered the ball behind. Muriqi made amends after the break, however, as he snuck in at the back post from a corner to head past a helpless Courtois.
That should have provided Madrid’s new look front three the platform to strut their stuff properly. Instead, they struggled through the remaining minutes, creating only half-chances and failing to break through a well-organised Mallorca block. By the end of it all, Vinicius was slumped on the sidelines, a frustrated Jude Bellingham looked on from the bench and Ferland Mendy was sent-off in the final seconds for a horror challenge.
Mbappe, meanwhile, will have to confront a Madrid debut in which he failed to have an impact.
Goalkeeper & Defence
Thibaut Courtois (5/10):
A shaky moment almost gifted Mallorca a goal, and he didn’t offer too much security otherwise. An off-night.
Dani Carvajal (6/10):
Quick and scrappy on the right, but didn’t offer too much going forward.
Eder Militao (6/10):
A bit shaky at times, with the odd loose touch or poor pass marring his game. Still short of his best post-ACL injury.
Antonio Rudiger (8/10):
An imperious force at the back. Jumped for all of his headers and won countless duels.
Ferland Mendy (5/10):
Shielded well – Mallorca had pretty much nothing down his wing. A late red card marred his evening.
Midfield
Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):
Very tidy in his passing, even if he didn’t advance the ball forward much. Sacrificed for the more attacking Modric after an hour.
Federico Valverde (5/10):
A rare poor showing from the Uruguayan, who wasn’t as clean as usual in his passing, and missed a few tackles. Will need to be better with Kroos gone.
Jude Bellingham (7/10):
Made an impact in deeper areas and connected with the front three effectively. He’s always involved – no matter where he starts.
Attack
Rodrygo (7/10):
Took his goal wonderfully, and was probably the most dangerous of the front three. Who says he’s the odd man out?
Kylian Mbappe (6/10):
Made all kinds of interesting runs, but never really got the clear chance – or half-chance – he needed to make things happen.
Vinicius Jr (6/10):
Created four chances, and assisted Rodrygo’s goal, but wasn’t effective enough when it came to doing it himself.
Subs & Manager
Luka Modric (6/10):
Floated around, found some nice angles, but never the killer pass.
Arda Guler (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Lucas Vazquez (N/A):
On for the final five minutes.
Brahim Diaz (N/A):
Barely had a kick.
Carlo Ancelotti (5/10):
Picked his strongest XI – as expected – but didn’t really change anything as points slipped away. Madrid didn’t create enough chances, and he will have some serious pondering to do in the coming weeks to get the best out of his attackers.