Vinicius Junior Strikes Gold! Real Madrid Star Delivers Stunning Winner to Sink Mallorca 2-1
A pair of goals scored within sixty seconds ensured Real Madrid claimed all three points in a tense 2–1 triumph.
Real Madrid came back to the Santiago Bernabéu hoping to continue their flawless La Liga campaign under Xabi Alonso. Following some notable lineup choices in last weekend's clash with Real Oviedo, the new manager brought back Trent Alexander-Arnold, Éder Militão and Vinícius Júnior to his starting eleven on Saturday evening.
The choice nearly paid dividends immediately for the home side when Alexander-Arnold delivered an exquisite pass from his own territory to a charging Kylian Mbappé, who briefly netted what appeared to be the opening goal in the seventh minute. However, the French striker was marginally offside, and his strike was ruled out following a VAR check.
After some adjustment time, Mallorca found their rhythm and gradually silenced the mass of white-clad supporters in attendance. Ex-Barcelona player Pablo Torre provided a precise delivery from the corner that Vedat Muriqi nodded beyond Thibaut Courtois to give the away team a 1–0 advantage.
Los Blancos found themselves behind for the first time this campaign, desperately seeking an answer before the interval. Alonso's squad then netted twice within sixty seconds to completely reverse the match. Álvaro Carreras lofted a cross to the far post where Dean Huijsen met it, directing the ball across the face of goal to Arda Güler. The 20-year-old made no error from close range and nodded in his team's leveler.
Moments later, Vinícius Júnior secured the winning goal for Real Madrid with an outstanding display of individual brilliance. The Brazilian surged forward, choosing to retain possession rather than finding one of his colleagues, before switching to his left foot to manufacture sufficient space to blast his second strike of the campaign into the net.
Real Madrid believed they had found a third through Güler again in the 55th minute, but the strike was ruled out for handball in the buildup following an extended, disputed VAR examination. The home team would have appreciated securing an additional goal, particularly in the final stages when Mallorca appeared close to earning a draw, but they couldn't find the target once more.
Alonso's team finished the match somewhat unconvincingly, yet still earned three points to reach the summit of the La Liga standings. Los Blancos' upcoming fixture is against Real Sociedad in a fortnight after the September international window.
Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Mallorca (4-3-3)
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
Position / Player | Ratings (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: Thibaut Courtois | 6.5 |
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold | 7.7 |
CB: Éder Militão | 7.5 |
CB: Dean Huijsen | 8.1 |
LB: Álvaro Carreras | 7.4 |
CM: Fede Valverde | 8 |
CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni | 7.3 |
CM: Arda Güler | 7.7 |
RW: Franco Mastantuono | 6.9 |
ST: Kylian Mbappé | 7.5 |
LW: Vinícius Júnior | 8.3 |
SUB: Brahim Díaz (66' for Mastantuono) | 6.4 |
SUB: Dani Carvajal (72' for Alexander-Arnold) | 6.6 |
SUB: Dani Ceballos (72' for Güler) | 6.5 |
SUB: Rodrygo (72' for Vinícius Júnior) | 6.3 |
SUB: Gonzalo García (90+5' for Mbappé) | N/A |
Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Sergio Mestre (GK), Antonio Rüdiger, David Alaba, Fran García, Raúl Asencio, Thiago Pitarch.
Player of the Match: Vinícius Júnior
Mallorca (5-3-2): Leo Román; Mateu Morey, Martin Valjent, Antonio Raíllo, Marash Kumbulla, Toni Lato; Manu Morlanes, Sergi Darder, Pablo Torre; Mateo Joseph, Vedat Muriqi.
Substitutes: Samú Costa, Antonio Sánchez, Johan Mojica, Jan Virgili, Takuma Asano.