Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe has reacted on Instagram after Los Blancos were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw against Mallorca in their LaLiga opening clash (August 18). The Frenchman admitted it wasn’t a good result and vowed to return stronger for the next one.
Rodrygo broke the deadlock in the 13th minute, curling the ball past the keeper, after being teed up by Vinicius Junior’s clever backheel pass. Mallorca responded well and were rewarded in the 53rd minute when Vedat Muriqi headed home to level the scores.
Mbappe was unfortunate to hit the post nine minutes later. Frustration got the better of Ferland Mendy as he was given a straight red card for a poor foul on Muriqi in the seventh minute of stoppage time to add to Los Blancos’ misery.
Mbappe posted a story on his Instagram account soon after (via MadridXtra):
“Not a good result. Heads up & already focus on the next one. Hala Madrid!”
Mbappe led the line against Mallorca at the Mallorca Son Moix Stadium but was unable to offer much. He created zero chances and landed two shots on target from four attempts. In addition, the 25-year-old lost three duels and was dispossessed twice.
“We just had to do better, with more attitude” – Carlo Ancelotti gives his verdict on Real Madrid’s draw against Mallorca
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti was unhappy with how his side performed after they were held to a 1-1 draw against Mallorca. The Italian tactician reckoned Los Blancos lacked balance and needed to defend better, despite making a positive start.
Ancelotti said (via Managing Madrid):
“Last year I was happy with some draws, but not today. We could have done much better. I don’t want to make excuses. We just had to do better, with more attitude. You can learn from these games. It’s clear where the problem is.”
“We started the game well, but it wasn’t a good game. We need to defend better. We need more balance. We’ve said it before, we’re very offensive and balance is essential.”
When asked about the team shape and to elaborate on finding the right balance, he added:
“The problem is that the team was too open. We have to concentrate more, as we usually do. It’s not a physical or mental problem.”
“When we win the ball back, we all have to think about it together. You can think that it is a problem for the forwards, but it could be a problem for the defence, or for the midfielders. It is not a problem for one, two or three. It is a problem for a team that in this match did not understand that it was a key aspect. Mallorca played a great game defensively. The draw is correct.”
Real Madrid dominated possession with 66 percent of the ball, completing 599 passes with an accuracy of 90 percent. Mallorca were more than happy to sit back with just 34 percent possession. They also completed 267 passes with an accuracy of 83 percent.
Despite having more of the ball, Real Madrid failed to create as many big chances as Mallorca. Los Blancos landed 13 shots in total with five being on target, whereas the hosts landed 12 shots with five being on target – out of which two were big chances. Mallorca also had an xG of 0.96 compared to Real Madrid’s 0.60.