Kylian Mbappe was denied to open the double with Real Madrid in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against RCD Mallorca in La Liga. The French superstar opened his account with the Spanish giants in midweek with a goal in their UEFA Super Cup victory over Atalanta BC. Los Blancos could not register three points as they launched their domestic title defense during Mbappe’s competitive debut at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix.
Rodygo’s early opener was canceled out by Vedat Muriqi’s second-half equalizer and Carlo Ancelotti’s side were unable to find a winning goal. It’s extremely early days in La Liga, but Real start their season two points behind bitter rivals Barcelona, which should be taken as an indication that they may not run to the title. Mbappe and Los Merengues also came off lightly as the hosts squandered a handful of late chances to potentially punish their visitors further.
The match itself was a huge event in Spanish football, with many famous faces in attendance to see the French international captain take his first steps with the Madrid giants. Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni and local tennis legend Rafa Nadal were among the famous faces in attendance and they almost saw a penalty from Mbappe in the first few minutes. Real’s cry for a penalty was waved away after a lightning burst of speed ended and he was bundled out near Mallorca’s penalty area.
It didn’t take long for the former Paris Saint-Germain player to get involved, however, as both he and Vinicius Junior contributed to the build-up that ultimately ended with Rodrygo putting the away side 1-0 ahead. A variety of chances in both halves, including a save from Dominik Greif, saw Mbappe end his first La Liga appearance without a goal to match his Super Cup strike. He also saw his compatriot Ferland Mendy shown a straight red card late on for a wild challenge as Los Blancos’ frustrations became apparent.
While there will be disappointment that Mbappe couldn’t combine his goalscoring debut against Atalanta with another match-winning performance against Mallorca, things could turn out for the better in the end. An easy win for Ancelotti’s side could have lulled them into a false sense of security given how easy the start to life with Mbappe could have seemed. The truth is that La Liga, the UEFA Champions League and the Copa del Rey will all be challenging to win this year and a new team ethos will need to be established.
The early signs have been encouraging given some of the chances created by and for Mbappé, but it will need to be refined as both games so far have shown in terms of his positioning and co-existence with the likes of Vini Jr. and Jude Bellingham, who were eventually substituted late on. here. Possession statistics show that Real Mallorca dominated, but the islanders gave everything they could and created chances themselves. Thibaut Courtois conceding his first goal of the new season certainly illustrated that defensive improvements are possible despite the dangers posed by Real’s new-look attack.
Two points shouldn’t be fatal at this early stage, but Real and Mbappe must be careful not to do this too often, especially away from home. In a competition where the results of El Clásico can often determine the outcome of the title race,… Los Merengues cannot afford to drop too many points in their title defense against mid-table Mallorca. But similar creativity in front of goal would normally result in the back of the net being hit more than once.
The Mbappe fever will continue for a while in Spain and the Champions League itself will provide extra excitement as the French national team captain continues to adapt to his new teammates. This is an early sign that simply adding him to this team doesn’t automatically mean collective chemistry and success. That will take both time and hard work, which must be put into the first weeks and months of the season if it is to end with the glory expected of this star-studded side.