At three days of the clash against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Real Madrid was caught off guard by Majorca on Saturday in Liga (2-1), despite the return of Kylian Mbappé as a starter.
Surprised by a movement in full race from the Spanish midfielder Manu Morlanes towards the end of the first half (42nd minute, 1-0), the Merengues thought they had secured a draw at the last minute thanks to a header on a corner kick by Brazilian defender Eder Militao (88th minute, 1-1), returning after four months of absence.
Mbappé was dangerous but…
However, they eventually conceded a goal in stoppage time from a clear shot in the pivot position by the Kosovar striker Vedat Muriqi (90th + 1 minute, 2-1), who beat the Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, in place of the injured Thibaut Courtois.
Kylian Mbappé, starting for the first time since the end of February and his left knee injury, had the best chances of the match, but he was thwarted every time by the opposing goalkeeper (23rd, 25th, 55th minute).
The men of Alvaro Arbeloa (2nd, 69 points) thus let a good opportunity slip away to come within a point of their eternal rival, FC Barcelona (1st, 73 points), who could pull clear at the top of the league with a win on Saturday night (9 p.m.) at Metropolitano against Atletico Madrid.
