Celta Vigo fans celebrate against Mallorca. | Salvador Sas

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Celta Vigo 2 - Real Mallorca 0

A few days ago, I wrote that Real Mallorca were going to find it very difficult having to play three games in eight days, and so it came to pass. On Friday night against Celta Vigo, they lost 2-0 to the Galician side.

Mallorca coach Jagoba Arrasate’s men never looked like they’d got over the 1-5 gubbing from Barcelona on Tuesday night. So much so that only Valjent, Raillo and Samu Costa started again. The coach made eight changes, with Javi Llabres and Siebe van der Heyden playing for the first time this season. Indeed, van der Heyden hadn’t started a game for Mallorca since their cup run at the beginning of the year, and has spent more time on the bench than Judge Rinder!

It was a tight match but with a simple outcome. We had four attempts on target and didn’t score, whereas the home side took their opportunities and that’s what football’s all about. We made too many individual errors and from one of them, Celta took the lead in the 32nd minute. Mallorca failed to clear the ball and it broke to Hugo Alvarez and his shot went in off the far post. Mallorca had come close with two headers from Raillo and Larin, but both efforts were saved by Guaita in the home goal.

After the break it was mostly a rear-guard action from Mallorca with the normally reliable Samu Costa caught in possession too many times. As the second half progressed, it looked like Barcelona all over again as Mallorca seemed to collapse. Arrasate rang the changes but in the 82nd minute Celta’s veteran striker Aspas collected a rebound in Mallorca’s penalty area, to virtually seal all three points and destroy any hopes we had of getting a draw.

In what was a nightmare night for Mallorca, captain Antonio Raillo was shown a straight red card for a last defender handball, which for some unknown reason VAR took several minutes to verify. Raillo will miss the Girona game on Saturday, December 14 in Palma at 16:15, and Getafe on the 21st. Girona have a tough week playing Real Madrid today (Saturday 7th) followed by Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Mallorca have eight days left until their next game and it’s time to rebuild after a black week with two defeats and seven goals against. Whatever happens between now and our last game of the year away at Getafe, we still have a very good 24 points.