Real Madrid lost against Mallorca after Marco Asensio penalty missed

Modric came on as a substitute in the second half | Photo: AFP

Karim Benzema cannot play, it was already confirmed. Thibaut Courtois was injured while warming up before the start of the match. Real Madrid suffered without two main weapons of attack and defense. Substitute goalkeeper Andriy Lunin conceded an early goal, which he might have saved had he been in position. Marco Asensio missed a penalty in the second half, a shot Benzema should have taken if he was in the team.

Defensive-attacking throughout the match, Real Madrid lost to Mallorca 1-0. With this loss, the current champions lost the chance to close the gap with Barcelona. Real is second with 45 points in 20 matches, Barca who are at the top with 50 points after playing one match less. If Barca wins against Sevilla tonight, the difference between the two teams will be 8 points. Real Madrid will be a bit behind in the fight for the league title.

Carlo Ancelotti had to struggle to organize the team around the match against Mallorca. Eden Hazard, Lucas Vasquez and Farlan Mendira are already out of the field due to injury. Militao and Benzema were knocked out due to injury in the last match. The coach had only five players to replace if Courtois sat on the bench before the start of the game.

In Benzema's absence, Rodrigo was given the responsibility of centre-forward. But the young Brazilian could not make an impact in the attack. Neither did Vinicius Jr. or Ascensio. On the contrary, Real scored a goal in 14 minutes of the match.

Rodríguez's cross from outside the D-box finds Vedat Muriki. Nacho kept an eye on the Kosovo striker. The two jumped together, first Muriki, then Nacho's head and the ball went into the net. There was nothing to do but watch as goalkeeper Lunin came forward from the goalmouth.

Real tried to turn around quickly after the goal. However, by focusing on defense, Mallorca created obstacles. Real could not create more opportunities in the rest of the first half. In the second half, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos came on as substitutes and the attack picked up some momentum. But the Mallorca goalkeeper didn't have to get much speed to deal with them.

Asensio's Penalty Is Saved! | Photo: Twitter

Asensio squandered the only chance to score. Real gets a penalty in the 60th minute. Asensio's low shot to the right was blocked by Mallorca goalkeeper Predrach Ryković. Real have to leave the field with a loss if they can't create a chance to score in the rest of the match.