Liga: Mbappé and Real Madrid avoid a shipwreck against Mallorca, delayed title for FC Barcelona
Los Blancos, who were without many players, snatched victory this Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu against the Mallorcans (2-1). Barça will have to wait to officially become Spanish champions.
Real Madrid snatched a last-gasp victory against Mallorca at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday (2-1) in La Liga's 36th matchday. Valjent opened the scoring for the visitors early in the 11th minute, but Kylian Mbappé saved his team from a home defeat by scoring his 40th goal of the season in the 68th minute. The Madrid side then pressed on and created a string of chances, before doubling the lead through Jacobo Ramon (90th+5).
With three matches still to play, Barça (1st, 82 points) will have to wait to officially become Spanish champions and will only need three points and a victory, Thursday against Espanyol Barcelona, to be crowned ahead of their runners-up Madrid (2nd, 78 points) whom they beat in both La Liga matches.
Suffice to say, there's not much suspense. But Real Madrid and their star signing Kylan will finish the season without a title, with a Champions League quarter-final exit against Arsenal and defeats in the Cup and Super Cup finals against Barcelona. A sad end to the cycle for Carlo Ancelotti, who is leaving for the Seleçao.
On the pitch of a sparsely populated Santiago Bernabéu stadium, the Spanish giants, the reigning Spanish and European champions, struggled for a long time against a compact opposing defense and the visitors' substitute goalkeeper, Leo Roman, who made ten decisive saves. It took another flash of brilliance from Mbappé, his 28th of the season in the league, to revive a Madrid team decimated by injuries and which had no fewer than twelve absentees on Wednesday: Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Antonio Rüdiger, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, David Alaba, Lucas Vazquez, Andriy Lunin, Brahim Diaz and the Frenchmen Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga, all injured, as well as Aurélien Tchouaméni, suspended.
It was then the young defender Jacobo Ramon, 20 years old, starting for the first time in his career in La Liga, who gave the victory and a (very) slim hope of retaining his title at the White House, closer however to a season without a major trophy, apart from the European Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.
In the other matches of this 36th day, the victory of Alavés (17th, 38 points) against Valencia (11th, 45 points), 1-0, and that of Villarreal (5th, 64 points), 3-0 winner against Leganés (18th, 34 points), condemned Las Palmas (19th, 32 points) officially relegated to the second division, with Valladolid (20th, 16 points). On the other hand, they allowed Girona (13th, 34 points), surprising third last year, to ensure its survival, despite a failed season.
lefigaro
