Carlo Ancelotti’s team, Los Blancos, did not perform as well as anticipated in their first match, resulting in them losing points. Their attack, known for its strong offensive capabilities, did not reach the desired level of performance.

Kylian Mbappe had an unproductive first appearance in La Liga, with little assistance from the prominent players surrounding him. As a result, Real Madrid were held to a vexing 1-1 draw with Mallorca in their season opener.

The anticipated impressive performance turned out to be a series of brief moments of worry, as the star-studded attacking trio of Los Blancos had possession of the ball for most of the game but failed to make a significant impact when it truly mattered.

Madrid appeared energetic in the initial minutes, with Mbappe and Vinicius Jr posing difficulties for a vulnerable Mallorca defence. Rodrygo skilfully scored the first goal by manoeuvring past his opponent and elegantly curling the ball into the top corner of the net.

Just before half-time, the home team came close to scoring an equaliser when Thibaut Courtois made a mistake and gave Vedat Muriqi a perfect opportunity. However, Antonio Rudiger, who had a great performance throughout the game, forcefully kicked the ball out of play. Muriqi rectified the situation in the second half by cleverly positioning himself at the far post on a corner kick and successfully heading the ball into the net, leaving Courtois unable to make a save.

That should have given Madrid’s revamped forward line the opportunity to showcase their skills effectively. However, they faced difficulties in the remaining minutes, managing to create only limited opportunities and being unable to penetrate a strongly coordinated defence by Mallorca. At the conclusion, Vinicius was sitting dejectedly on the sidelines, while a disappointed Jude Bellingham observed from the bench. Additionally, Ferland Mendy was given a red card in the last moments for a particularly dangerous tackle.

Meanwhile, Mbappe will face the challenge of a Madrid debut where he was unable to make a significant impression.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Thibaut Courtois (5/10):

A shaky moment almost gifted Mallorca a goal, and he didn’t offer too much security otherwise. An off-night.

Dani Carvajal (6/10):

Quick and scrappy on the right, but didn’t offer too much going forward.

Eder Militao (6/10):

A bit shaky at times, with the odd loose touch or poor pass marring his game. Still short of his best post-ACL injury.

Antonio Rudiger (8/10):

An imperious force at the back. Jumped for all of his headers and won countless duels.

Ferland Mendy (5/10):

Shielded well – Mallorca had pretty much nothing down his wing. A late red card marred his evening.

Midfield

Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):

Very tidy in his passing, even if he didn’t advance the ball forward much. Sacrificed for the more attacking Modric after an hour.

Federico Valverde (5/10):

A rare poor showing from the Uruguayan, who wasn’t as clean as usual in his passing, and missed a few tackles. Will need to be better with Kroos gone.

Jude Bellingham (7/10):

Made an impact in deeper areas and connected with the front three effectively. He’s always involved – no matter where he starts.

Attack

Rodrygo (7/10):

Took his goal wonderfully, and was probably the most dangerous of the front three. Who says he’s the odd man out?

Kylian Mbappe (6/10):

Made all kinds of interesting runs, but never really got the clear chance – or half-chance – he needed to make things happen.

Vinicius Jr (6/10):

Created four chances, and assisted Rodrygo’s goal, but wasn’t effective enough when it came to doing it himself.

Subs & Manager

Luka Modric (6/10):

Floated around, found some nice angles, but never the killer pass.

Arda Guler (N/A):

No time to make an impact.

Lucas Vazquez (N/A):

On for the final five minutes.

Brahim Diaz (N/A):

Barely had a kick.

Carlo Ancelotti (5/10):

Picked his strongest XI – as expected – but didn’t really change anything as points slipped away. Madrid didn’t create enough chances, and he will have some serious pondering to do in the coming weeks to get the best out of his attackers.