Coach Álvaro Arbeloa took full responsibility for Real Madrid’s stunning 2-1 loss to Mallorca, which saw his team concede a last-minute goal that deepened their struggle in the LaLiga title race, trailing rivals Barcelona by four points.
Manu Morlanes opened the scoring for Mallorca in the first half at Son Moix. However, Madrid found hope when substitute Éder Militão equalized in the 88th minute, only for Vedat Muriqi to clinch victory for the home side with a dramatic goal in injury time.
After the match, Arbeloa stated, “This defeat is entirely my fault. I need the players to focus on Tuesday’s upcoming match against Bayern Munich. As the coach, the blame rests with me… When they step out of the locker room, their only focus should be on Bayern.”
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Has Real Madrid’s loss to Mallorca ruined their LaLiga title hopes?
Alejandro Moreno reacts to Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat to Mallorca in LaLiga.
Arbeloa opted to leave Vinícius Júnior, who he noted was fatigued after the international break, and Jude Bellingham out of the starting lineup, bringing them on as substitutes in search of a comeback.
Prior to facing Mallorca, Madrid had enjoyed a positive run, winning five consecutive matches across all competitions, including a victory over Atlético Madrid in a derby and eliminating Manchester City from the Champions League.
Arbeloa acknowledged the challenges ahead in the title race, stating, “The situation is tougher now than it was before this match. We have eight games left, and regardless of the league standings, I’ve told the players we must aim to win every remaining fixture. We need to perform better than today.”
Regarding Bellingham’s absence, Arbeloa described it as a “normal” decision, considering the midfielder’s recent recovery from a hamstring injury, after also being left out by England’s coach Thomas Tuchel for two friendly matches.
“He’s missed many weeks of play,” Arbeloa remarked. “He only had 20 minutes against Atlético. The goal is to help him regain his match fitness gradually. He can’t perform at his best without game time. We need patience with him.”
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Mallorca’s Muriqi was visibly emotional after scoring the winner, especially following his distress from Kosovo’s World Cup qualifying playoff loss to Türkiye earlier in the week.
“I may seem tough, but I am human,” Muriqi expressed. “I missed a penalty against Elche on March 21 in a challenging match and then failed to qualify for the World Cup with Kosovo, which has been my lifelong dream.
“Today, scoring this goal to secure a 2-1 victory… looking at the fixtures at the beginning of the season, we couldn’t have expected to get any points from Real Madrid. Winning against them, the best team in the world, means everything to me.”