Coach Álvaro Arbeloa said responsibility for Real Madrid‘s dramatic 2-1 defeat at Mallorca was “absolutely, all mine” after his team conceded in the 91st minute to slip further behind rivals Barcelona in the LaLiga title race.
Manu Morlanes put Mallorca 1-0 up in the first half at Son Moix, but an 88th-minute equaliser from substitute Éder Militão gave Madrid hope of turning the game around, before forward Vedat Muriqi gave the home side all three points in added time.
The result left Madrid four points behind Barça, who were set to play away at Atlético Madrid later on Saturday.
“This defeat is mine, absolutely all mine, “Arbeloa said in his post-match news conference. “What I need from [the players] is for them to already be thinking about Tuesday’s match [against Bayern Munich in the Champions League]. I’m the one who makes the decisions, and this defeat is entirely the Real Madrid coach’s fault… When they leave the locker room, they only have to think about Bayern.”
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Has Real Madrid’s loss to Mallorca ruined their LaLiga title hopes?
Alejandro Moreno reacts to Real Madrid’s 2-1 loss to Mallorca in LaLiga.
Arbeloa left Vinícius Júnior — who he had said was tired after the international break — and Jude Bellingham out of the starting 11, introducing both as second half substitutes as Madrid chased an equaliser.
Madrid went into the Mallorca game on a high thanks to a run of five consecutive wins in all competitions, including eliminating Manchester City in the Champions League, and beating Atlético 3-2 in the derby before the international break.
“[The title race] is more difficult than it was before the game started,” Arbeloa admitted. “We have eight matchdays left, and regardless of how the league stands, as I told the players, our objective is to win all eight remaining games. We have to play better than we did today.”
Arbeloa described the decision to leave Bellingham — who has been recovering from a hamstring injury — out of the team as “normal” after the midfielder was also omitted by England coach Thomas Tuchel for their two friendlies.
“He’s been out for many weeks,” Arbeloa said. “Against Atlético, he played 20 minutes. The idea is for him to continue regaining match fitness. He can’t be at his best without hardly playing any games. Patience with him.”
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Mallorca forward Muriqi was in tears after scoring the team’s winning goal, after facing heartbreak in the World Cup qualifying playoffs with Kosovo, when they were beaten by Türkiye on Tuesday.
“I might look tough, but I’m human,” Muriqi said. “I missed a penalty against Elche [on March 21] in a tough match. Then I missed out on qualifying for the World Cup in a final [with Kosovo], my lifelong dream.
“Today, with this goal, winning 2-1… When you look at the fixtures and do the maths [at the start of the season], you put down zero points against Real Madrid. Winning against them, the best team in the world, it means a lot.”
