Ten-man Real Mallorca succeeded in securing this potentially decisive duel of European hopefuls 2-1 against an out-of-sorts Girona, who failed to capitalize on a numerical edge they maintained for over an hour at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix arena.
Defeated narrowly by Liverpool earlier in the week, Girona were striving to recover from three consecutive losses in all tournaments, while Mallorca remained unbeaten in their last two LaLiga outings. Mallorca’s prospects did not appear likely to shift initially, finding themselves 1-0 down within the opening 10 minutes when Donny van de Beek seized on a weak clearance to net the opener with a superbly struck volley.
Mallorca might have equalized shortly after, when the typically dependable Vedat Muriqi broke through and missed connecting with Cyle Larin in the box, who would have enjoyed an easy finish if the pass had been cleaner. It was unquestionably a vexing instance for Mallorca, but that didn’t dissuade the pair from attempting to combine again – and the second attempt paid off, as Muriqi masterfully found Larin in the box, who then delivered a precise low shot to level it 1-1.
Yet, Muriqi subsequently turned from savior to scapegoat when his reckless tackle on Bryan Gil saw the striker receive his marching orders with over an hour remaining. Being reduced to 10 players made Larin’s miss shortly before halftime even more agonizing when he headed over the crossbar from close range, leaving the first period to end at 1-1. To the hosts’ credit, they refused to allow their numerical disadvantage to diminish their determination, and they kept challenging their adversaries as the clock ticked on.
The Pirates’ daring strategy was rewarded soon after the interval, as Larin capitalized on a dreadful Juanpe back pass to charge at Paulo Gazzaniga, ultimately beating the goalkeeper to the ball and steering it into an open net. Lacking urgency in their reply, Girona struggled to do enough in the second half to halt their five-match winless run, with one of their rare opportunities being an Abel Ruiz effort from the edge of the box that soared over the crossbar.
Girona failed to genuinely challenge Dominik Greif following that fleeting opportunity, allowing Real Mallorca to settle in and secure a crucial win. Consequently, the hosts have now suffered only one defeat in their last eight meetings against Girona, who themselves are now reflecting on a third straight LaLiga game without triumph – a stretch that leaves them four points adrift of the European spots and five behind fifth-placed Mallorca.