Mbappe fails to score in La Liga debut, Real draws with Mallorca

Coach Carlo Ancelotti kept the same starting lineup in the European Super Cup win over Atalanta 2-0 a few days ago, with the "super quartet" Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius and the famous rookie Mbappe.

It was these players who together created the opening goal at Son Moix. In the 13th minute, Bellingham and Mbappe coordinated in the penalty area. Although unsuccessful, the ball found Vinicius' position, where the Brazilian striker flicked the ball for his compatriot Rodrygo to curl the ball past goalkeeper Dominik Greif.

This is the 50th time Rodrygo has contributed to a Real goal in 143 La Liga matches, including 27 goals and 23 assists.

But Real could not capitalize on their advantage and deepen their lead. At the start of the second half, they even let Mallorca equalize from a set piece. Dani Rodriguez took a corner from the left and crossed the ball just wide for Vedat Muriqi to head in from close range. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois touched the ball lightly but could not save it.

After this goal, Real's attacking stars, especially Mbappe, played energetically, but could not score more goals. In the 62nd minute, from Bellingham's pass, the French striker accelerated on the left wing, then turned into the middle, and shot to his favorite near corner, but goalkeeper Greif dove to push the ball away.

A similar situation occurred in the 70th minute, when Mbappe entered the penalty area, shot with his left foot diagonally but still could not beat the home team's goalkeeper.

Unable to find a second goal, Real players lost their composure towards the end of the match. In the seventh minute of injury time, Ferland Mendy kicked the ball high towards Muriqi's thigh and was shown a red card.

The 1-1 result was the first time Real had failed to win their opening La Liga match in six seasons under Ancelotti, and the sixth time they had opened a season with a draw in the 21st century.

Ancelotti said Real started well but had an unimpressive performance, and needed to strike a better balance between attack and defence. "Last year I was happy with some draws, but not today," the Italian coach said. "We could have done much better and I don't want to make excuses. You can learn from these games. The problems are very clear."

He also believes Real left too many gaps and need to be more focused, and that this is not a physical or mental problem. "When you win the ball back, the whole team has to think about what to do next," the 65-year-old coach analyzed. "You can say it's a problem for the strikers, but it's also a problem for the defence and midfield. It's not a problem for one, two or three players. We didn't realise that this was an important aspect of the game today. Mallorca defended brilliantly, and the draw was a true reflection of the game."

In round 2, Real returns home to meet Valladolid, while Mallorca travels to Osasuna's field.

Line-up:

Mallorca: Greif, Maffeo, Valjent, Raillo, Mojica, Mascarell (Copete 90), Darder (Morlanes 72), Costa, Asano (Larin 72), Rodriguez (Sanchez 67), Muriqi

Real: Courtois, Carvajal (Vazquez 87), Militao, Rudiger, Mendy, Tchouameni (Modric 63), Valverde, Bellingham (Guler 88), Rodrygo, Vinicius (Diaz 88), Mbappe.