Kylian Mbappe's La Liga debut was marred by a 1-1 draw as Real Madrid faced a resilient Real Mallorca in their opening match of the title defense.
Mbappe, who joined Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain, found himself thwarted by Mallorca goalkeeper Dominik Greif. Madrid had taken the lead early with a goal from Rodrygo Goes. However, Mallorca equalized in the second half with a header from Vedat Muriqi.
Despite Madrid's strong lineup, which included Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, and Rodrygo in attack, the team struggled to break down Mallorca's defense. The game saw a notable incident late in stoppage time when Madrid's Ferland Mendy was sent off for a high challenge on Muriqi.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti commented, "We went ahead, we had chances to score the second, and then in the second half we lacked balance. We conceded counter-attacks, it was not a good game, it was quite a clear game to see that we need to defend better and have better balance on the pitch."
Ancelotti's starting eleven was unchanged from the UEFA Super Cup victory over Atalanta, where Mbappe had scored. However, the French forward was unable to replicate his scoring form in this match.
Mallorca's coach, Jagoba Arrasate, was making his debut for the team and managed to secure a valuable point against the reigning champions. Madrid had a strong start, with Vinicius providing an assist for Rodrygo's goal. Greif made crucial saves, including one from Mbappe, and Vinicius also missed a chance to extend Madrid's lead.
Mallorca's equalizer came early in the second half from Muriqi's header off Dani Rodriguez's corner. Despite efforts from Madrid, including a close chance for Mbappe and a substitution of Aurelien Tchouameni for Luka Modric, they could not reclaim the lead. Mendy’s late red card added to Madrid's frustration.
Muriqi expressed his satisfaction, saying, "I'm so tired but it was worth it, it was so important to get a point against a team like Madrid, maybe the best in the world. I have to be honest, scoring against Madrid is so beautiful."
