1-1: SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR

A great opportunity was missed on Monday night to fully get into the race for European spots. We did the hard part and almost came away with all three points after Kike Salas’ goal in the final action of the first half. We had chances to seal the win in the second half. However, that second goal didn’t come, and Mallorca grew into the game, with nothing left to lose, until they found an equaliser in stoppage time. The wait for consecutive wins goes on. Our home struggles continue; our last win at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán came against Celta de Vigo on 14 December 2024.

Mallorca were solid in the early stages of the match, while we struggled to keep possession and create dangerous opportunities. In the 15th minute, Dodi Lukébakio tried his usual move of cutting inside, but his shot went too high. Shortly after, Kike Salas had a chance from a very tight corner kick, after a back-heel flick by Saúl Ñíguez, but he was denied by a goal-line block. Gradually, we started to press in the opponent's half, mainly through Adrià Pedrosa and Rubén Vargas. The Swiss player had a shot that hit Martin Valjent, and his compatriot Djibril Sow also tried his luck, forcing goalkeeper Dominik Greif to make a save, in two attempts, from his shot from just outside the box. We went into the break being the better side overall, and we were rewarded in the final play of the first half. A free kick by Lukébakio, flicked on by Loïc Badé and Isaac Romero, landed at the far post where Kike Salas met it perfectly and slotted it into the corner, leaving the Mallorca keeper no chance.

There were opportunities to seal the win in the second half, but it was Mallorca who found the net

A reward late on in the first half, although our lead almost disappeared just seconds after the break. A cross from Pablo Maffeo and a shot from Takuma Asano, almost off a rebound, hit the post. Our response was quick, with a cross-shot by Vargas and a volley, just over the bar, from Saúl in the same play. The importance of the win became more evident as the minutes passed. With so much at stake, we had chances to finish the match, such as with an individual effort from Isaac, who, surrounded by three opponents, shot just wide of the post. However, Jagoba Arrasate tried everything in search of the equaliser, and Mallorca grew stronger in the last quarter of the game, especially through Robert Navarro, who had two very good chances soon after coming on. García Pimienta, in the final ten minutes, freshened up the team with Chidera Ejuke, Lucien Agoumé, and Manu Bueno. The Nigerian forward almost scored our second with a shot that just didn't bend enough.

The killer blow came in stoppage time. A ball into the box saw two Mallorca players challenge Ørjan Nyland. The keeper managed to clear the ball, but it fell to Valjent, who reacted quickly to find the net from a tricky angle. The goal stood despite the players' protests, who felt that our keeper had been fouled. This was a big match in the context of European qualification. We now sit in 11th, but only three points off the top six. Next up is a visit to sixth-placed Rayo Vallecano on Saturday - another huge match.