Without Javier Aguirre, Mallorca Moves Closer to Champions League Spots

Without Javier Aguirre, Mallorca Moves Closer to Champions League Spots
Without Javier Aguirre, Mallorca Moves Closer to Champions League Spots

Mallorca, with a brace from Cyle Larin, triumphed 2-1 over Girona, who initially took the lead with a goal from Van de Beek. Despite playing with ten men for over an hour following Vedat Muriqi’s expulsion, the Balearic side overturned the deficit against the Catalan outfit.

True to their style, Míchel’s charges started the match with a clear intention to dominate through possession and subdue their opponents, a strategy that bore fruit within minutes of kickoff.

A cross from Miguel into the heart of the area was intercepted by a Girona defender, but Van de Beek was on hand to unleash a brilliant volley, scoring the opening goal of the evening.

The early setback did not faze Mallorca, who displayed courage when attacking, and in one such move, Muriqi found himself alone in front of Gazzaniga. However, in a moment of generosity, he attempted to set up Larin for a tap-in, but the Canadian couldn’t get on the end of the pass.


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Near the midway point of the first half, the same Kosovar forward atoned for his earlier miss by laying the ball off to Larin inside the area, who struck it first-time, sending an unstoppable shot past Gazzaniga and leveling the score.

The match, entertaining for spectators and filled with opportunities for both teams, took a turn after Muriqi’s dismissal for a foul on Bryan Gil, where a VAR review led the referee to show a straight red card — the second for the Bermellón striker in less than a month.

Arrasate’s side held their ground despite enduring a tense period fraught with protests and several yellow cards that could influence the clash. One such card came after a shot from Van de Beek that resulted in a tackle on Copete’s ankle, a decision heavily contested by the Mallorca faithful.

Half-time seemed to calm the atmosphere and restored Girona’s dominance, which nearly regained the lead through Arnau, only for him to misfire and send the ball over the bar.


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During this period of Girona control, a grotesque error from Juanpe allowed the hosts to take the lead. An errant backwards pass left his goalkeeper in a precarious situation, with Larin predicting the clearance and intercepting it, ultimately guiding the ball into the opposing net for his first double as a Mallorca player.

With the advantage and a player down, the Balearic team fell back into their defensive shell, bracing for Girona’s attempts to equalize, yet the visitors struggled to find a crack in the red wall.

Míchel sought to stir things up by introducing Misehouy and deploying two forwards, Abel Ruiz and Stuani, attempting to exploit the vulnerability of the two central defenders, both on yellow cards.

In response, Arrasate brought on Dani and Robert in midfield to maintain freshness and prevent the opposing players from outpacing his own.


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In the closing minutes, Girona launched several positional attacks with little threat, aiming for crosses that were consistently cleared by the robust Mallorca defense, ultimately sealing three more points at Son Moix.

Mallorca now clings to European spots, while Girona begins to drift away from the contention.

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