In a thrilling encounter, Real Madrid emerged victorious with a narrow 1-0 win over Mallorca. The match showcased the true spirit of football, with both teams displaying immense skill and determination.
From the very beginning, it was evident that this was going to be a closely contested battle. Mallorca's defense stood strong, denying Real Madrid any clear goal-scoring opportunities. However, Real Madrid's relentless attack finally paid off in the 56th minute when Karim Benzema found the back of the net with a clinical finish.
Centre-back Rudiger broke the deadlock in the 78th minute as he capitalised on some sloppy defending from a corner to power a header into the top corner and score his first goal of the season.
"Great cross by Luka, great block by [Dani] Carvajal and luckily it went in," Rudiger told reporters. "I'm happy because it was an important goal and three important points for us. This team has something special, a good mix of young and old talent."
The hosts’ first real sighting of goal was from Jude Bellingham, as the Englishman’s flicked header needed a save from Pedrag Rajkovic, before Vinicius Junior, returning from a seven-game injury lay-off, spurned two chances in 11 minutes, twice dragging wide of the target as he displayed his rustiness.
Rajkovic was called into action for the first time by a thunderous Vincius effort from the edge of the area, with the Serbian goalkeeper equal to a strike that seemed destined for the top corner, but the scoreline remained even as half-time drew nearer.
Mallorca enters the Real Madrid match on an unbeaten streak of its own to start a hopeful push toward the middle of the LaLiga standings. The club has won two of its past three matches and is 3-3-0 in its past six, dating back to a 1-0 loss on Nov. 25 to the same Atletico Madrid side that handed Real Madrid its most recent loss. Last time out, Mallorca surrendered the opening goal to Osasuna off a set piece in the seventh minute, then scored three straight and only gave up a meaningless goal in extra time on its way to a 3-2 victory.
Madrid next visit fifth-tier Arandina in the first round of the Spanish Cup before taking on Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup.
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