1-0!4-3!A night of joy and sorrow, the pattern of the championship has changed, Girona is stunner, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are difficult
A match in the 19th round of La Liga is contested, with Real Madrid hosting Mallorca. Real Madrid have had a good season with injuries in the camp, with 14 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat in their first 18 games, ranking top of the table. In the Champions League, Real Madrid won all 6 games, which is very strong. There is no doubt that Real Madrid are the favourites to win all competitions. Real Madrid have won the last 3 games. This time, Real Madrid are at home against Mallorca, who are in 14th place. Last season, the two sides played each other over two legs, winning and losing. This time, Real Madrid won the game in a thrilling way.
Real Madrid lined up 4312 formations. Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. are paired up in two strikers. Bellingham was behind them. Valverde, Luka Modric and Kroos make up the midfield three. Carvajal, Toni Rudiger, Tchouameni and Fran Garcia started the game at the back four. Lu Ning served as the starting goalkeeper. Kepa, Vázquez and Joselu were on the bench. Nacho is suspended.
Mallorca almost had a one-on-one chance early in the opening period, but fortunately Lu Ning ran out of the box in time to clear the ball. Real then controlled the tempo and kept creating chances, but the likes of Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. couldn't get on goal. Mallorca didn't have many chances, but they were extremely dangerous with every shot. Antonio Sanchez's header hit the crossbar and Larin's volley went just wide. At half-time, the score was still 0-0! Real Madrid had 70% possession in the first half, 8 shots on goal, 3 on target, and failed to score. Mallorca had just three shots on goal in the first half and failed to score. In the second half, Moussa Costa almost scored, but was denied by the post. Real Madrid, who escaped the game, scored the winner in the 78th minute through Toni Rudiger. In the end, Real Madrid won 1-0.
In the other match, the favourites Girona faced Atletico Madrid at home and played a magical 4-3 scoreline. In this game, Girona's attack was sharp, and at one point it was 3-1 up. However, Morata has been too good to pull Atletico back to the brink again and again. Alvaro Morata was responsible for Atletico's three goals, and the performance was truly impressive. However, no matter how good Morata is, it doesn't work. In the final stoppage time of the game, Ivan Martin scored the winner and Atletico collapsed. In the end, Girona won the game 4-3. It was a night of joy and sorrow, joy for Real Madrid and Girona, sadness for Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
The championship landscape has also changed. Real Madrid remain firmly at the top of the table. Girona are in 2nd place with Real Madrid on points. For Atletico and Barcelona, it will be too difficult to compete for the title. Atletico dropped points and have a total of 38 points, 10 points behind Real Madrid. And Barcelona is also 10 points behind Real Madrid. Obviously, this season's title is basically between Real Madrid and Girona. Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are already difficult.