Barcelona were seconds away from being crowned La Liga champions for the 2024-25 campaign without taking to the field on Wednesday night, with Real Madrid needing a last-gasp goal to overcome Mallorca at Bernabeu.
Real Madrid, fresh from a damaging defeat in El Clasico, entered the match knowing that they needed to beat Mallorca to take the title race to Thursday, when Barcelona would be in action against Espanyol in the Catalan derby.
Martin Valjent's early goal handed the visitors a shock lead in the Spanish capital, but Kylian Mbappe levelled the scores in the 68th minute, before Jacobo Ramon's first senior goal incredibly won it for Carlo Ancelotti's side in the 95th minute.
Real Madrid have moved onto 78 points in the La Liga table, four points behind the leaders Barcelona, who will be crowned champions if they manage to overcome Espanyol in the Catalan derby on Thursday night.
Jagoba Arrasate's side have missed the chance to move into a European position in the table, with the visitors remaining ninth, level on points with eighth-placed Rayo Vallecano, who now have a game in hand.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
Β© Imago
It was win or bust for Real Madrid, but in truth, only a collapse from Barcelona will prevent the Catalan side from winning the title after their victory in the spectacular seven-goal thriller between the two sides at the weekend.
It is difficult to deny Barcelona, with Hansi Flick's side scoring 95 times in their 35 matches, posting 26 wins in the process, but Real Madrid refused to be beaten on Wednesday, with their relentless pressure eventually making the difference, and it is fitting that it was forgotten man Jesus Vallejo who came up with the assist for Ramon to win it.
Defensive injuries have crippled Real Madrid at the worst possible stage of the season, but they were well beat by Arsenal in the Champions League, and it is clear that a new direction is required next term - that remains the case even after this spectacular late win.
Ancelotti is leaving as head coach, with Xabi Alonso set to arrive as his replacement, and it will be fascinating to see how the Spaniard, who has done an excellent job at Bayer Leverkusen, performs for the club that he previously represented as a player.
The futures of Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior need to be addressed, but for all of the criticism levelled at Mbappe, he has now scored 40 times in his debut season at Real Madrid, which must be celebrated.
Alonso will enter a dressing room full of excellent players, but changes are required, and it is set to be a fascinating summer transfer window for the club, which could be kicked off with the arrival of leading defensive target Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth.
Barcelona will look to get the job done on Thursday night, but a shock defeat in that fixture would certainly make things interesting ahead of the final two gameweeks of the campaign.
REAL MADRID VS. MALLORCA HIGHLIGHTS
Martin Valjent goal vs. Real Madrid (11th min, Real Madrid 0-1 Mallorca)
Will tonight be the night Barcelona are crowned as champions? π
β Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) May 14, 2025
Mallorca's early lead against Real Madrid means it's very much in play π
ππππ πππ‘ππ ππ¦ @sbk | 18+ | πππππ π πΊπππππ π ππ ππππ ππππ¦ pic.twitter.com/sdwc4b57kw
Mallorca take the lead in the 11th minute of the contest at Bernabeu, and the goal comes from Valjent, with the defender firing into the bottom corner of the net after breaking into the Real Madrid box; the home fans have been silenced here.
68th min: Real Madrid 1-1 Mallorca (Kylian Mbappe)
Mbappe levels the scores in the 68th minute of the contest, with the forward breaking into the Mallorca box before smashing the ball into the bottom corner - that is an excellent goal from the France international.
95th min: Real Madrid 2-1 Mallorca (Jacobo Ramon)
It just had to be; Real Madrid have refused to be beaten here; the title race goes to another day, as Ramon has scored a last-gasp winner for Los Blancos, volleying into the back of the net from close range after Mallorca failed to clear their lines.
MAN OF THE MATCH - MARTIN VALJENT
Β© Imago
Valjent made the breakthrough at Bernabeu with an excellent finish, but it was the defender's overall performance that impressed the most, as he put in a brilliant display in the middle of the Mallorca defence.
The 29-year-old stood up to the challenge that Real Madrid offered, while he was also excellent on the ball, finishing with a pass success rate of 85%, with the Slovakian a key contributor for Mallorca on the night, and he did not deserve to be on the losing side.
REAL MADRID VS. MALLORCA MATCH STATS
Possession: Real Madrid 72%-28% Mallorca
Shots: Real Madrid 39-4 Mallorca
Shots on target: Real Madrid 13-2 Mallorca
Corners: Real Madrid 26-0 Mallorca
Fouls: Real Madrid 6-15 Mallorca
BEST STATS
76 - Real Madrid have conceded 76 goals in 60 games in 2024/25 across all competitions, their highest tally in a single campaign since 2003/04 (76 also) and the second-highest tally by a LaLiga team this season, behind Real Valladolid (92). Tear. pic.twitter.com/ZUStQ7HWQk
β OptaJose (@OptaJose) May 14, 2025
Not Cristiano Ronaldo, not Karim Benzema, not Ruud van Nistelrooy.
β Squawka (@Squawka) May 14, 2025
Kylian MbappΓ© is the first ever Real Madrid player to score 40 goals in his debut season for the club. π pic.twitter.com/TP9Ocr7UFQ
A DREAM goal for Jacobo...
β LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) May 14, 2025
The 'Canterano' scores his first goal for @realmadriden. π€ pic.twitter.com/BfnQbzYPLq
WHAT NEXT?
Real Madrid's final two league matches come against Sevilla (May 18) and Real Sociedad (May 24), with the team still in the title argument at this moment in time, before turning their attention to the Club World Cup.
Mallorca, meanwhile, are very much in the mix for European football come the end of the season, and their final home fixture is against Getafe on Sunday before finishing away to Rayo Vallecano on the final weekend of the campaign.
Matt Law
