Mallorca Stun Madrid: Mbappé Goes Missing in Title Race Nightmare

Picture this: Real Madrid, the galacticos who've been purring pre-international break, roll into Son Moix full of beans. But instead of dismantling Mallorca, they get turned over 2-1 in a proper horror show. It's the kind of result that has punters spilling their pints and La Liga dreamers waking up in a cold sweat.

Manu Morlanes nodded the hosts ahead just before half-time, leaving the visitors chasing shadows. Éder Militão sparked late hope with a towering header in the 88th minute, but then, in stoppage time, Vedat Muriqi – who's been on a tear – poked home the dagger. Mallorca snag just their fourth win of 2026, while Madrid's crown slips further away. A Barcelona win later? That's seven points adrift. Ouch.

And looming like a storm cloud? Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final first leg in three days. Álvaro Arbeloa's lads better sort this mess quick.

Mbappé's Desert Drought

Let's talk about the elephant in the room – or rather, the Frenchman who vanished. Kylian Mbappé got his first start since February, post-knee knock, with Vinicius Junior parked on the bench. Free rein up top, a Mallorca defence leaking like a sieve all year? Should've been a field day.

Nope. Leo Román in the Mallorca goal had the World Cup winner's number, clawing away his early efforts. Second half? Mbappé morphed into a ghost – no goals, no assists, no menace. Even when Vini hopped on, he faded into the wallpaper. It's not all on him, mind – the whole white shirts looked laboured – but another data point in the 'Madrid worse with Mbappé?' debate. What's going on, mate?

Ratings: Heroes, Zeros, and Shoulder Shrugs

Ratings courtesy of FotMob

Andriy Lunin (GK, 5.7): Blameless for the opener, frozen for the winner. Tough gig.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (RB, 7.3): Cracking corner for Militão's goal, then lost his man for the killer. Classic Trent – feast or famine.

Antonio Rüdiger (CB, 6.6): Kept Muriqi grounded mostly, slipped at the death.

Dean Huijsen (CB, 7.0): Solid on Zito Luvumbo, classy on the ball.

Álvaro Carreras (LB, 7.2): Predictable going forward, dozed for the first goal. Mendy's knocking.

Manuel Ángel (RM, 6.6): Gutsy kid, sharp passes, but right-flank link-up AWOL.

Aurélien Tchouaméni (CM, 6.9): Steady without his midfield mates.

Eduardo Camavinga (CM, 6.9): Flair up top, but watched Morlanes stroll in. Transfer whispers? This won't help.

Arda Güler (LM, 7.2): Chance machine, ignored by mates.

Brahim Díaz (ST, 6.5): Invisible, sulked off.

Kylian Mbappé (ST, 7.3): Early promise, then poof.

Subs lit it up a bit: Militão (7.2) sharp on return from injury (and that goal!); Vinicius (6.2) sparked life; Jude Bellingham (6.2) flat; others meh.

What It Means for Arbeloa's XI

Carreras? Not sealing the deal – one-paced, switched off. Camavinga? Rumours of unrest make sense after that defending masterclass (or lack thereof). But hats off to Militão, back from December layoff and scoring on debut touch. Original reporting by Madrid Universal at OneFootball highlights how this drab display killed the swagger.

Madrid's title push? On life support. UCL redemption? Fingers crossed. For now, it's Mallorca celebrating like they've won the lot, and Los Blancos nursing wounds over a few jars.